Alarming

Lately every time I think things are calming down in Burkina something else happens.

The recent reports out of Burkina are:

• Military in FadaN'Gourma have shot a rocket into the local courthouse and blocked the city off with tanks. Background on the unrest in FadaN'Gourma here. 
• Simon Compaoré, mayor of Ouagadougou, was attacked by military and his home was ransacked. Simon Compaoré is considered third to rule in Burkina (behind the President and the Prime Minister)  
• Blaise Compaoré, President of Burkina Faso, is scheduled to meet with the military tomorrow (Thursday) as he calls for calm. It appears his calls have been ignored. It is suggested Blaise is "between the devil and the deep blue sea" (entre le marteau et l'enclume). This dilemma is rooted in the balance between justice and the desires of the military. 
• Some reports have suggested Blaise Compaoré was also attacked, alongside Simon. I suggest this is false as last week reports suggested Blaise had fallen victim of a coup d'etat. 
• The University of Ouagadougou reopened today. The atmosphere was suggested to be sombre.

 A very jaded perspective of these events would say Burkina is due for this kind of unrest for many reasons that include:
1. Burkina's neck of the woods includes Ivory Coast and Niger - both countries that have experienced intense civil unrest in recent months (and in Cote's case years).
2. Burkina has experienced little more than union strikes (petrol companies, and banks) since the last coup d'etat in 1987.
With this in mind...
It shouldn't be considered surprising that student groups and military remain part of the unrest in Burkina or that reports of military unrest across the country continue to surface (especially in Bobo Dialassou - Burkina's second largest city). 

The fact that a curfew on the city of Ouagadougou has been imposed has caught no one off guard. 

It's not surprising that any of this is happening, but it is concerning. It's not alarming, but it deserves our attention and our prayers.