According to a regional prosecutor, around 170 individuals were killed in assaults on three villages in northern Burkina Faso one week ago, as the country, now under military rule, experiences an increase in extremist attacks.
On the same day, February 25, multiple assaults on a mosque in eastern Burkina and a Catholic church in the north resulted in many more fatalities.
According to Aly Benjamin Coulibaly, there have been reports of attacks on the villages of Komsilga, Nodin and Soroe in Yatenga province, resulting in a preliminary death count of approximately 170 people.
The prosecutor in charge of Ouahigouya, a northern town, stated that some individuals were injured and there was also property damage. No specific group was held responsible according to the prosecutor. They have initiated an investigation and are asking for the cooperation of the public to provide any relevant information.
The survivors of the assaults reported that many women and young children were among those who were harmed.
According to sources for local security, the assaults were independent of the fatal occurrences that took place on the same day at a mosque in the rural area of Natiaboani and a church in Essakane village.
The exact number of deaths from the attacks has not been announced by government officials, but a high-ranking member of the church reported that at least 15 innocent individuals were killed in Essakane at the time.
The nation of Burkina Faso has been struggling with a conflict caused by a group of insurgents associated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State, which originated in Mali and began in 2015.
The conflict has resulted in the deaths of nearly 20,000 individuals and the displacement of over 2 million in Burkina Faso, a country located in the Sahel region that is known to be one of the most impoverished in the world and plagued by ongoing turmoil.
Anger at the state’s inability to end the insecurity played a significant role in two military coups in 2022. The current strongman president, Ibrahim Traoré, has made the fight against rebel groups a priority.
Several incidents occurred on February 25, including attacks on a military unit in Tankoualou in the eastern region, a rapid-response battalion in Kongoussi in the northern region, and soldiers in the northern town of Ouahigouya.
According to security sources, the military and the Volunteers for the Defense of the Fatherland (VDP) – a civilian group that supports them – began operations in response and were successful in “neutralizing hundreds of terrorists.”
Earlier this week, the Minister of Security, Mahamadou Sana, stated that the series of attacks were “coordinated”.
Sana stated that the enemy’s tactical strategy has shifted due to the destruction of terrorist bases and training camps, as well as efforts to cut off their sources of funding and supply routes.
In the past, mosques and imams have been the victims of assaults attributed to jihadists.
In Burkina, churches have occasionally been singled out and Christians have been taken against their will.
According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, 439 individuals lost their lives due to violent incidents in just the month of January.
Source: theguardian.com
