2023-07-09 00:52:04
Twenty-two civilians, including twenty army auxiliaries, were killed on Friday July 7 in two attacks by suspected jihadists in the north and west of Burkina Faso.
“The Village of Kogsablogo”located near Boulsa, capital of the province of Namentenga (Centre-Nord region), “was the subject of an attack during the day on Friday by terrorist groups”a security source told Agence France-Presse (AFP). “The balance sheet is sixteen Volunteers for the defense of the fatherland [VDP, supplétifs civils de l’armée]fallen down [tués] »said this source. “In their response, the elements also inflicted losses on the enemy”she added.
confirming ” the attack “ Who “targeted the local VDPs”a resident added that at least two civilians had also been killed and two others injured. “The attackers also set fire to houses, carts and motorcycles, as well as the market”continued this resident, calling for a “major military operation in the province of Namentenga which is experiencing an upsurge in attacks”.
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According to a second security source, another attack took place on the same day in Fô, a town in the province of Houet (Hauts-Bassins region, in the West). “Four VDPs from the village of Kiébani were killed in this attack”, she clarified. According to residents of the town contacted by AFP, Fô, targeted by jihadist violence for several weeks, “is emptying day after day of its populations”.
More than 10,000 dead in eight years
Burkina Faso has been caught in an escalating spiral of jihadist violence since 2015. On Wednesday, around 20 civilians were killed in two attacks in the North and East.
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On June 26, at least 71 men, including 31 soldiers and 40 civilian army auxiliaries, had died in three attacks by suspected jihadists, the two deadliest taking place in the Center-North province.
The violence over the past eight years has killed more than 10,000 civilians and soldiers, according to NGOs, and more than two million internally displaced persons. The country has been led since the end of September 2022 by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who came to power by a coup, the second in eight months, and who has shown his determination to fight the jihadists despite the multiplication of attacks.
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