a dozen civilians killed by suspected jihadists in the north of the country

A dozen civilians were killed by suspected jihadists on the evening of Wednesday August 4 in several villages in northern Burkina Faso, security and local sources reported Thursday to AFP. “On Wednesday evening, unidentified armed individuals carried out a series of attacks in the north, killing ten people among the local populations”, said a security source.

A regional leader of the Volunteers for the Defense of the Fatherland (VDP, civilian auxiliaries) confirmed these attacks committed in the Sahel and Center-North regions. “Several bodies were found” in hamlets and villages “Of the municipality of Markoye after the passage of armed individuals”, explained in particular this person in charge of the VDP. He claimed that these attacks also targeted the VDPs, one of whom was killed.

Article reserved for our subscribers Read also In eastern Burkina Faso, villages trapped by jihadists

Created in December 2019, the VDPs work alongside the army for surveillance, information and protection missions after a fourteen-day military training. They also act as trackers and are often engaged in fighting at the cost of heavy losses, with more than 200 dead in their ranks since 2020, according to an AFP count.

More than 1,500 dead since 2015

The attacks affected the villages of Badnoogo and Bassian, the hamlets of Tokabangou and Gadba, in the Sahel region, not far from the border with Niger, as well as the commune of Pensa, in the Center-North region. ” Concessions [propriétés] were set on fire by the attackers ”, also told a resident to AFP.

Burkina Faso has been facing regular and deadly jihadist attacks since 2015, particularly in the northern and eastern regions close to Mali and Niger, also confronted with the murderous actions of terrorists. These attacks, often coupled with ambushes and attributed to jihadist groups affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group and al-Qaeda, killed more than 1,500 and forced more than 1.3 million people to flee their homes.

Read also In Burkina Faso, anger is mounting among the population at the increase in attacks

At the end of July, a Burkinabé soldier and ” Several dozens “ jihadists were killed during an army operation aimed at securing the Madjoari area in eastern Burkina Faso, according to the Burkinabe army staff. At least ten people, including seven VDPs, were also killed in mid-July in an attack in the north of the country.

The World with AFP