Pay protest soldiers fire weapons and loot shops

Soldiers rampaged in southern Burkina Faso yesterday, firing shots into the air, stealing vehicles and ransacking shops in continued protest over pay, witnesses said.

The mutinies have erupted sporadically in parts of the normally sleepy West African country for weeks and could pose the most serious threat yet to President Blaise Compaore's regime, in place since 1987.

"These were young soldiers and there were at least 300 of them," said a resident of the town of Po, south of the capital Ouagadougou near the Ghanaian border.

Residents said the rampage began on Saturday night and continued into yesterday. Soldiers across the country have been stepping up protests in recent weeks over pay, and members of the Presidential Guard charged with protecting Mr Compaore fired weapons into the air last week near the presidential palace in Ouagadougou.

Looting by the soldiers triggered a backlash on Saturday when hundreds of traders set fire to the headquarters of Burkina Faso's ruling party demanding their shops be protected.

Mr Compaore, one of Africa's longest-serving presidents, won a new five-year term in November elections, but he faces growing pressure from the military and the civilian population that analysts say have weakened his grip on power.