assets handed over to the state.
International monitors say Saturday's presidential election in Nigeria appears to have gone
largely
without incident, as tens of millions of people cast their ballots. Caroline Duffield spent the day in the capital Abuja.
This was Nigeria's big day, a chance to prove that Africa's giant could hold a credible election. In the capital, there was a sense of thrill and excitement as people poured out to vote. Across the country, there were
occasional
disturbances. In Maiduguri, a bomb attack at a police station alarmed voters, although no one was killed. In Bauchi, there were reports that police had
foil
ed an arson attack on an election centre. But overwhelmingly the signs of a calm and peaceful election are encouraging election observers, who say that this day could be a historic step forward for Nigeria's democracy.
A curfew has been imposed in the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, to try to curb several days of continuing violence. Soldiers protesting about housing allowances looted shops and market stores. Shopkeepers responded by
ransack
ing buildings and setting fire to the headquarters of the Burkinabe governing party. Police fired tear gas at the angry crowds.
Reports from Algeria say at least 13 soldiers were killed by rebels at a military base as they watched a televised speech by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Friday night. Local people said a two-hour gunfight followed the attack by Islamist insurgents on the compound in Azazga.