An American citizen has been killed in the capital of the West African nation of Burkina Faso, according to the US State Department.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Associated Press spoke with four government and army officials who confirmed that the man was shot on Saturday morning outside the Baba Sy military camp on the outskirts of Ouagadougou, after trespassing and ignoring a warning shot by soldiers to stop advancing.
The man died from gunshot wounds and was taken to the morgue at Yalgado Ouedraogo University Hospital.
The shooting came one day before voters in Burkina Faso went to the polls for a presidential and legislative election that comes amid ongoing attacks linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State.
The violence has killed more than 2,000 people this year and displaced 1 million from their homes in the West African nation.
The State Department said late Saturday it was not aware that the American killed had any affiliation with the US government, but declined to give more information out of respect for the privacy of the individual and the family.
Australian Associated Press
