Survivors recall narrow escape from Burkina Faso attack
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — As al-Qaida fighters attacked the cafe where he worked, Clement Djiguende was saved by chance: A jihadist who had been firing at patrons simply ran out of bullets.
On the cafe's large outdoor terrace, "wounded people were crying out in pain," the bartender recalled.
An audio tape later released by the North Africa affiliate of al-Qaida that claimed responsibility for the carnage was titled: "A Message Signed with Blood and Body Parts."
The attackers arrived in a vehicle with license plates from neighboring Niger and spoke with an Arabic accent when screaming in French, witnesses said.
The cafe had long been a popular hangout in Ouagadougou, with a menu of Western dishes and a bakery that sold birthday cakes and pastries, among other items.
Soon it began filling with smoke, forcing Djiguende and the others in the restrooms to wet pieces of their clothing in the sink to cover their faces as they tried to escape by crouching close to the ground.
Andre Bationo, a waiter at the hotel, said he was cleaning in the dining room when a girl selling handicrafts to guests burst in to say that jihadists were killing people outside.