Over 100 held for protesting prices

Ouagadougou – A government spokesperson said that 184 people had been arrested in Burkina Faso after violent demonstrations over the spiralling cost of basic goods.

Phillipe Sawadogo told reporters on Monday that Thibault Nana, the leader of an opposition party who organised a key protest in Ouagadougou was among those arrested. The arrested protesters had been transferred to the capital’s central prison.”He was arrested and questioned,” said Sawadogo.Nana was accused of “sedition” for having called for the destruction of property in the Thursday demonstrations, he said.The demonstrators were operating in groups of 15 to 20, attacking 50 neighbourhoods in the capital, Sawadogo said.There was “an organised desire to destroy things”, said Sawadogo.Nana called for the ‘Dead City Day’ protests in Ouagadougou, asking shopkeepers and transportation workers to bring the capital to a standstill in protest of the increasing cost of living.Protesters claimed that the government had added new taxes to basic goods.The protests quickly spiralled into violence, as they did in other towns, including Bobodioulasso, the country’s second largest city, as well as in Banfora in the west and Ouahigouya in the north.The Monday edition of the state-owned newspaper Sidwaya reported that 29 people had been sentenced to prison terms, ranging from three to 36 months for protests that began February 20 in Bobodioulasso.News24The arrested protesters had been transferred to the capital’s central prison.”He was arrested and questioned,” said Sawadogo.Nana was accused of “sedition” for having called for the destruction of property in the Thursday demonstrations, he said.The demonstrators were operating in groups of 15 to 20, attacking 50 neighbourhoods in the capital, Sawadogo said.There was “an organised desire to destroy things”, said Sawadogo.Nana called for the ‘Dead City Day’ protests in Ouagadougou, asking shopkeepers and transportation workers to bring the capital to a standstill in protest of the increasing cost of living.Protesters claimed that the government had added new taxes to basic goods.The protests quickly spiralled into violence, as they did in other towns, including Bobodioulasso, the country’s second largest city, as well as in Banfora in the west and Ouahigouya in the north.The Monday edition of the state-owned newspaper Sidwaya reported that 29 people had been sentenced to prison terms, ranging from three to 36 months for protests that began February 20 in Bobodioulasso.News24