In Burkina Faso, 17 soldiers and 36 armed aid workers were killed in fighting between the army and Islamists. The military said today that the fighting took place yesterday in the province of Yatenga, in the north of the country. The army is trying to retake Islamist-controlled areas in the region in order to allow displaced villagers to return to their homeland. The fight still continues. These are the heaviest fighting in months.
Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been fighting armed groups in the north, some of which have links to the Islamic network al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. This year attacks have intensified and groups are also active in the neighboring states of Mali and Niger. So far, thousands of people have been killed and millions have been driven from their homes.
In Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countries in the world, there were two military coups last year, which were also caused by the insecure situation. After the last coup d’état in October 2022, Burkina Faso expelled French forces involved in the fight against extremists.
Burkina Faso’s military government is trying to compensate for reduced military effectiveness with volunteer fighters, who are mainly deployed in the north. The Ouagadougou government has also signaled interest in cooperation with Russia.