Croatia puts army on alert with migrant influx
BATINA, Croatia – Croatian leaders asked the army to be on alert after chaos erupted Thursday at the border with Serbia, where thousands of migrants and refugees have poured into the country. Some trampled over each other in a rush to get on limited buses and trains, causing dozens of injuries amid the mayhem.
The huge masses descended on Croatia after Hungary took tough measures to stop migrants entering its southern border. As Hungarian officials hailed their success in stopping the massive influx and moved ahead with plans to build yet more border fences, leaders in Croatia pleaded that their country was at full capacity and unable to cope with the sudden flow.
“Don’t come here anymore. Stay in refugee centers in Serbia and Macedonia and Greece,” Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic said. “This is not the road to Europe. Buses can’t take you there. It’s a lie.”
Saudi-led coalition pounds Yemen rebels
MARIB, Yemen – The Saudi-led coalition targeting Yemen’s Shiite rebels pounded the insurgents’ positions Thursday with heavy artillery fire on the outskirts of the central city of Marib, part of their push to retake the capital, Sanaa.
The heavy bombardment came hours after the rebels, known as Houthis, aired footage on their satellite television channel purporting to show a Saudi soldier held as a prisoner of war. A top al-Qaida leader in Yemen meanwhile praised the campaign against the Houthis and called for Islamic rule in the Arab world’s poorest country.
The dull thud of artillery fire rumbled across Marib, but its residents, many carrying Kalashnikov assault rifles, appeared unperturbed by the nearby fighting. Shops downtown were open for business, and residents crowded a market to buy qat leaves, a mild narcotic widely consumed in Yemen.
Burkina Faso soldiers seize power after detaining leaders
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso – A military junta took power in Burkina Faso, throwing the country into a crisis a month before an election to replace the transitional government.
The National Council for Democracy announced on television Thursday that it had seized control of Africa’s fourth-biggest gold producer. It’s led by General Gilbert Diendere, the army chief of staff under Blaise Compaore, the president who was swept from power last year after mass protests against an attempt to extend his almost three-decade rule.
The military takeover started Wednesday when soldiers belonging to Compaore’s former presidential guard barged into a Cabinet meeting and detained interim leader Michel Kafando, premier Isaac Zida and two ministers, according to a statement from Cherif Sy, the head of the transitional council.
Protesters erected barricades and burned tires in the capital, Ouagadougou. Shops and businesses closed as troops patrolled the streets, firing warning shots. Three people died of gunshot wounds and at least 60 were injured, Robert Sangare, managing director of Yalgado Ouedraogo, the largest medical facility in the capital, said by phone. The United States and United Nations on Thursday called for the immediate release of the detained leaders and an end to the violence.
The Associated Press and Bloomberg News
