Last week, several “dozens” of soldiers and civilians were killed in attacks by suspected jihadists, mainly in northern Burkina Faso, Agence France-Presse (AFP) learned from security forces and local sources on Sunday, December 31.
At least four attacks have targeted military units since last Sunday, causing “dozens of deaths,” according to these sources. On Saturday, “a large group of heavily armed terrorists attacked the military camp in Nouna (Northwest). Several victims were registered, military and civilian, a local source told the AFP news agency.
A security source contacted by the agency confirmed “the attack on the barracks, [qui] was postponed. “Another attack targeted another department in the north at almost the same time,” says the same source, who assures that “this attack was also controlled.”
Local and security sources interviewed on Sunday reported that two additional attacks targeted military units on December 24. “A major attack targeted Sollé's department. Several casualties were recorded on the friendly side, but the courage and response of the elements made it possible to repel the attackers,” one of the security sources told AFP, adding that the jihadists “were tracked down and hit by air vectors during their retreat.” .
An attack claimed by a group linked to Al-Qaeda
That attack was claimed earlier this week by the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), a jihadist alliance with ties to al-Qaeda, which claimed to have killed “around 60 soldiers.”
Finally, on the same day of December 24, the Gorgadji gendarmerie department in the Sahel (North) was attacked by “terrorists who came in large numbers on board several vehicles and motorcycles,” according to another source. secure.
The military regime that has ruled Burkina Faso since a coup in September 2022 rarely communicates official reports about attacks by suspected jihadists.
According to state television, a special forces commando launched an attack on Saturday against jihadists who were preparing an attack on the town of Boulsa innamentenga (central-north) province.
“More than thirty terrorists were killed and their logistics burned,” reported this media, which stated that three terrorist bases discovered in the northwest of the country were destroyed by the armed forces. Since 2015, Burkina has descended into a spiral of violence perpetrated by jihadist groups linked to the Islamic State and al-Qaeda.
See also: “Death awaited us” in Burkina Faso: Amnesty International reports on life under jihadist blockade