Burkina Faso: At least ten dead in a jihadist attack
An attack attributed to jihadists in Gaskinde, in the north of Burkina Faso, resulted in the death of “about ten people”, most of them soldiers, the authorities and sources close to the security forces announced yesterday on Monday.
A “population supply convoy” accompanied by an army unit, “bound for Jibo, was the target of terrorist attacks” yesterday “near the community of Gaskinde”, which is administratively under the province of Soum, in the Sahel region, an army statement said.
“Unfortunately, the attack caused human and material losses,” continues the text, which adds that a “full account has been given as soon as possible.”
A source close to the security forces contacted by AFP spoke of a provisional count of around “ten dead” and “many serious injuries”.
“The count continues” and “reinforcements have been deployed to the area to provide assistance to victims and secure the zone,” the same source added.
The day before Sunday, another convoy, which had left the previous day from Dori, the capital of the Sahel region, with a mission to supply the city of Sheba, was the target of attacks with an improvised explosive device, sources close to the security forces said. Four people were injured, however the motorcade reached its destination yesterday, to the relief of the residents.
On Saturday, two soldiers and two auxiliaries were killed in an attack by “terrorists” on a patrol in Tapoa province (east), which borders Niger and Benin, according to the army.
Burkina Faso — where the military seized power in January, vowing to make the fight against jihadists their top priority — is facing, like its neighboring countries, the action of armed groups that claim allegiance to either al-Qaeda or the Islamic state.
Since 2015, the African country has counted thousands of dead, while almost two million residents have been uprooted from their land.
Source: RES-MPE