OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — Authorities in Burkina Faso say several people have been wounded by a hand grenade aimed at French soldiers just hours before the French president arrived in the West African country.

Eyewitnesses say two people on a motorcycle threw the grenade late Monday in a neighborhood of the capital, Ouagadougou. The assailants missed their intended target — a bus carrying members of the French military.

However, police said Tuesday that several others were hurt.

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived later Monday evening for a visit to Burkina Faso. He will head to a European-African summit in Ivory Coast Wednesday.

Burkina Faso has been battling a surge in violence blamed on Islamic extremists. The violence has included two attacks on restaurants popular with foreigners, including one in August that killed 18 people.