Burkina Faso: dozens killed in terrorist attack
Several dozen soldiers were killed on March 28th in a presumed jihadist attack in east Burkina Faso, reports AFP.
The “violent attack targeted a military convoy in Diapaga”, the capital of the Tapoa province in eastern Burkina Faso, “leaving several dozen dead and injuring more”, the AFP was told by a security source in the region.
Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been confronted with local branches of Al-Qaida and ISIS on most of its territory.
Victims include soldiers and civilian auxiliaries (VDP) assisting the Burkinabe military, the source added, in the attack that took place in the afternoon with hundreds of attackers targeting the convoy.
“Several terrorists were neutralized in the army’s counterattack”, with the army starting a “combing operation” in the zone, added the source.
“At least thirty injured security forces members were evacuated to the regional hospital” said a medical source in Fada N’Gouma, capital of the western province.
“While the military convoy was under attack, the nearby city was targeted by terrorists who set fire to shops and homes”, reported a Diapaga local. Authorities are yet to comment on this attack.
Burkina Faso’s Eastern province was targeted by two distinct attacks in the past month, causing at least a dozen deaths among security forces and civilians, according to local security sources.
General Ibrahim Traoré, in power since 2022 following a military coup, had recently created the 27th battalion for rapid intervention (BIR), to wage a campaign against persistent jihadist threats in the region.
Members of the VDPs, the auxiliary armed group, are recruited among local populations and train for 3 months before they undertake operations alongside the military.
NGOs like Humans Watch have repeatedly accused Burkinabe forces and the VDP of committing massacres of civilians, under the guise of antiterrorism.
Terrorism in Burkina Faso has caused more than 26,000 deaths and 2 million internal refugees, according to NGO Acled.
AFP, Le Monde
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