Thirty-four people died over the weekend in Burkina Fasoduring two separate attacks that targeted civilians in the north and northwest of this country regularly bereaved by jihadist violence.
On the night of Sunday July 3 to Monday July 4, 2022, “the civilian populations of the rural commune of Bourasso (north-west) were the target of a cowardly and barbaric attack perpetrated by armed men”, indicates a press release from the governor of the Boucle du Mohoun region, Babo Pierre Bassinga.
“The provisional toll of this terrorist attack is 22 dead, several injured and material damage”continues the text.
Earlier in the day, a security source had mentioned to AFP an assessment of a “fifteen victims, men, women and children”while a local source had mentioned a ” around twenty “ of dead.
“They opened fire blindly on the population”
“The armed individuals first took a tour around 5 p.m. (7 p.m. in Paris) in the village firing shots in the air. They came back later that night and opened fire indiscriminately on the people.”explained this resident.
According to the governor, the defense and security forces “have deported themselves to the scene and carried out search operations”.
On Saturday, another deadly attack also took place in Namissiguima, in the province of Yatenga (north), according to another security source.
“The toll of this attack is 12 dead, including three volunteers for the defense of the homeland (VDP)”civilian auxiliaries who fight alongside the army, said this source, also referring to waves of population displacements since Sunday.
Spiral of violence
Like its neighbors Niger and Mali, Burkina Faso has been caught in a spiral of violence since 2015, attributed to armed jihadist movements affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, which have left thousands dead and 1.9 million moved.
More than 40% of the territory is outside state control, according to official figures. The country has become the epicenter of violence in the Sahel, with more deadly attacks than in Mali or Niger in 2021, according to the NGO Acled.
At the end of January, Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba overthrew President Roch Marc Christian Kaboréaccused of having been unable to stem jihadist violence, and made the restoration of security his ” priority “.
86 civilians killed mid-June
But the security situation in Burkina has not improved, as the country is still regularly targeted by deadly attacks.
In mid-June, 86 civilians were killed by jihadists in Seytenga (north), one of the worst killings in the country’s history.
This attack prompted the authorities to create two “areas of military interest”where “all human presence is prohibited” and where the army intends to carry out operations against the jihadists, in the north and east of the country, the regions most targeted by the attacks.
The transition period, before civilians return to power, has been set at three years by the Burkinabe authorities, a period deemed necessary to try to stem jihadist attacks.
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