At least 40 civilians were killed on Sunday in a massive jihadist attack on a military base in Djibo, northern Burkina Faso, which has been undermined by this kind of violence since 2015, the United Nations said on Tuesday.
• Also read: Burkina: At least 70 dead, including children, in massacre
This is the first civilian casualty count from that attack revealed to AFP earlier on Tuesday by Burkinabe security sources, who added that dozens of them were subsequently killed by the army.
“Some” soldiers were also killed, they said, without giving the number or mentioning civilian casualties.
Jibo lies near the so-called three-border zone between Niger, Burkina and Mali, where jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State operate, and has been under siege by the latter for more than a year. Several convoys trying to deliver supplies were attacked.
“A large number of fighters” from the al-Qaeda-affiliated Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM) “attacked a military base, homes and camps for internally displaced people in the Sahel city of Djibo, killing at least 10,000 people.” 40 Civilians were killed and more than 42 injured,” the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement, saying it was “devastated.”
“Those responsible will be held accountable following rigorous, impartial and independent investigations by the authorities,” he added, stressing that “deliberately targeting civilians or persons not directly involved in hostilities constitutes a war crime.”
Earlier on Tuesday, a security source told AFP that “the Djibo military department” had been “the target of a large-scale jihadist attack by armed terrorist groups,” and said that “some” soldiers had “made the ultimate sacrifice to hold them.” “. Djibo.
She added that an army response made it possible to inflict “heavy losses” on the enemy.
According to another security source, “The attack began at around 3:00 p.m. (local time and GMT) and was carried out by several hundred armed men who tried in vain to enter the (military) base.” They managed to advance against armored vehicles, but they were hit by army planes.
“The attackers, who arrived en masse aboard motorcycles and (vehicle) pickup trucks, also fired several shots with heavy weapons,” some of which were aimed at “air support,” the same source continued.
It further claimed that the attack was carried out by “several waves of armed groups” over “more than three hours”.
On Monday, “the hunt for the (jihadist) survivors also made it possible to neutralize several dozen other terrorists,” this security source also confirmed.
Djibo is under siege by jihadists
According to the Burkina Faso Information Agency (AIB, official), “more than 400 terrorists were decimated during the counteroffensive by the Burkinabe armed forces against nearly 3,000 criminals who attempted to take the city of Djibo.”
This “terrorist horde” made it its “mission to sow death and devastation in Djibo before taking control of the city,” according to the AIB.
The Sahel region, where Djibo is located, has been hit hardest by the jihadist attacks that are blooding Burkina Faso.
Since 2022, this country has been run by soldiers who have taken power by force.
Captain Ibrahim Traoré, author of the second coup in eight months in September 2022, has made the fight against jihadist groups, about 40% of whose territory lies beyond the army’s control, a priority.
Since 2015, Burkina has been caught in a spiral of violence by jihadist groups that has already affected neighboring Mali and Niger.
According to the NGO Acled, which lists the victims of conflicts around the world, they have caused more than 17,000 civilian and military deaths in the last eight years, including more than 6,000 since the beginning of 2023.
According to the National Council for Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation (Conasur), this violence has also led to the displacement of more than two million people within the country.