Italy on Monday was in shock
over the violent death of nine-year-old Michel Santomenna, who
was mowed down by Islamist fundamentalists in a terror attack in
the Burkina Faso capital last Friday.
Misha, as he was known, was the only Italian among the 29
people killed in Friday's al-Qaeda attack on the Cappuccino
restaurant and bar and the Hotel Splendid in Ouagadougou.
Also killed were his mother Victoria Yankovska, his aunt
Yana and his grandmother, all three Ukrainian nationals.
The whole of Italy expressed sympathy for the father,
Gaetano Santomenna, a longtime Ouagadougou resident who owns the
Cappuccino and several bakeries.
"The violent hand of the terrorists doesn't stop, even in
the face of a nine-year-old boy," said President Sergio
Mattarella.
Premier Matteo Renzi said that "as a father (and) a prime
minister, there are no words to express the pain and the
condolences of the whole of Italy for this death - for a young
life cut short by hatred," said Premier Matteo Renzi.
Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni for his part tweeted that
killing a child "is a horrendous crime".
As of Sunday, the victims were identified as one American,
at least seven Burkina Faso nationals, six Canadians, one Dutch
citizen, two French, one Libyan, one Portuguese and one Swiss
national.
An unconfirmed number of terrorists were also killed by
Burkina Faso and French forces.
Burkina Faso has decreed three days of national mourning,
which began Sunday.
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