French rescue son of Senegal president from blaze

French military fire fighters on Thursday rescued Karim Wade, the son and political protege of Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, from a blaze in a Dakar office block.

The French firefighters, in Senegal as part of a military cooperation accord currently under review, joined their local counterparts to pull Karim from the smoke-filled building.

“We were working and all of a sudden we saw smoke all over the building,” said an aide to Karim Wade, who runs a “super ministry” created by his father.

“He was in the 10th floor where his office is. It took the firefighters almost one hour to take him out,” the aide added of the rescue, which the 83-year-old president rushed to oversee.

No one was hurt in the fire, which appeared to have been caused by a short-circuit.

President Nicolas Sarkozy wants to complete a review of France’s longstanding defence ties with former African colonies by the end of this year. There has been speculation that the 1,200-strong French presence in Senegal could be reduced.

Reuters.