Burkina Faso: 10 police officers killed in an attack in Sebba, in the north of the country

Text by: RFI Follow

The town of Sebba, in the Sahel region, was targeted by an attack by armed groups on Saturday February 29. Result: 10 police officers killed and three injured. It is the heaviest loss recorded by the Burkinabè police in a single attack.

Publicity

With our correspondent in Ougadougou , Yaya Boudani

Difficult to reach residents in Sebba. Before launching the assault on the city, the armed groups first sabotaged the telecommunications facilities. The attack began at around 7 a.m. local time on Saturday.

To surprise the forces on the ground, the attackers wore the clothes of the Burkinabè armed forces. They simultaneously attacked the police station and the military detachment. But it was the central police station that was the main target, according to police officials. At the various entrances to the city, combatants had been posted with rockets. The official report shows 10 police officers killed and several others injured.

There is also significant material damage. According to security sources, an armored vehicle and military equipment were taken by the attackers.

It is the first time that the police have suffered such heavy casualties in a single attack. The National Police Union, one of the unions of police officials, calls on the government " to provide the police with appropriate weapons because, union officials stress, they are engaged in this war just like the armed forces ".

► Read also: The humanitarian situation in Burkina Faso increasingly critical

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