Burkina Faso: At least 12 soldiers killed in jihadist attack

At least 12 members of Burkina Faso’s armed forces were killed Sunday in what is believed to be a jihadist attack in the east of the country, security sources told AFP as violence erupted in the impoverished western state.

“On Sunday,” armed elements attacked a (military) unit on the outskirts of (Natiaboani) community. The provisional death toll is 12 soldiers, “a source said.

It was a patrol that was “attacked by alleged jihadists,” a second source said, referring to “about ten dead.” Several “elements in the enemy ranks were neutralized” (s.s .: killed), the second source added, without further details.

Natiaboani is a rural community about sixty kilometers south of Fanta N’Gourma, the capital of the eastern region, where militant attacks have been frequent since 2018.

According to the official AIB news agency, at least 15 young people were abducted by gunmen after an attack on the Nagre community near Natiaboani on Friday.

Yesterday’s attack on the military was the sixth in ten days in the eastern region. 23 civilians and 25 members of the security forces (military and gendarmes) have been killed.

On January 24, Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Damiba ousted Rock President Christian Marc Caboré, who has often been criticized for being ineffective in tackling jihadist violence.

However, after a period of relative calm, the new head of state, who assured that the fight against the jihadists would be his priority, was in turn faced with deadly attacks.

Like Mali and Niger, Burkina Faso has been under attack since 2015 by jihadist groups swearing allegiance to either Al Qaeda or Islamic State (IS). The jihadist actions have claimed the lives of more than 2,000 people and forced more than 1.7 million others to flee their homes.

SOURCE: AMPE