Thousands of students demonstrated in Burkina Faso's capital on Monday in support of a teachers' strike over pay and class size, some of them breaking windows and ransacking offices at the education ministry. The normally peaceful West African cotton producer nation has been rocked in recent months by waves of protests, including some by the military that only eased last month after President Blaise Compaore promised to address army demands.
A teacher strike began last week, with teachers demanding higher pay, promotions and smaller class sizes. "Why are the military's demands successful when our teachers are not heard?" one of the protesting students told Reuters. "If they don't listen, it is because their own children are studying in Europe," said another, who called himself Cedric. "If they don't take our demands seriously, we'll be out again tomorrow and it will be worse."
A Reuters witness said at least 3,000 students had demonstrated in the capital, most of them in front of the Ministry of Education, and that there was no evidence of security forces in the area. Dozens of protesters threw rocks through the windows of the ministry, while others ransacked the offices on the first floor, the witness said. By 1600 GMT the protests had ended, with no reports of injuries or deaths. A government spokesman was not immediately available to comment.