Stallions win provides brief respite in troubled Burkina Faso

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso 

Thrilled crowds celebrated in Burkina Faso’s capital Saturday after their national team beat Tunisia in a regional football cup, providing welcome respite after a military coup in the country.

Supporters in Ouagadougou pounded their car horns and blew into vuvuzuelas after the Burkinabe Stallions beat the North African side 1-0 in a quarter-final at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

“After everything we’ve been through, football is allowing us to get back a little love of life,” said Arsene Kabore, who wore the national team’s vest inscribed with his name.

The victory came after a military junta seized power from former president Roch Marc Christian Kabore on Monday after weeks of unrest, including over a deadly jihadist insurgency in the West African country.

The nation’s neighbours on Friday temporarily kicked it out of regional grouping ECOWAS over the takeover led by Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, as they mull imposing further sanctions.

But at a public screening of the match, the crowd was able to briefly forget their concerns and instead cheer on player Dango Ouattara as he scored the game’s single goal on the stroke of half-time.

Agronomist Zakaria Bouda said the football win was a joyous distraction after a tense week.

“It’s a victory for Burkina (Faso) that will allow some reconciliation,” he said.

Ouagadougou residents are supposed to return home by midnight under a nighttime curfew installed by the country’s new rulers.

But doctor Freddy Sawadogo said he did not care.

“Tonight there’s no curfew,” he said. “Even the soldiers are celebrating.”    BY DAILY NATION