Côte d'Ivoire-Burkina: first joint military operation against the jihadists

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The anti-jihadist struggle in the Sahel affects Côte d'Ivoire. Since the beginning of the month, an anti-terrorist operation has been underway in the north of the country, in collaboration with the forces of Burkina Faso. Côte d'Ivoire was hit in the heart in March 2016 during the attack on the historic city of Grand-Bassam, near Abidjan. This first joint initiative with the army of neighboring Burkina Faso has one objective: to dislodge jihadist fighters from Ivorian territory.

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With our correspondent in Abidjan , Sidy Yansané

"  A first operation, but not the last!  This is the promise of General Moïse Miningou, chief of staff of the Burkinabé army. The officer said he was satisfied "  with the tangible results  " obtained thanks to the "Comoé" operation, named after the river that crosses Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso.

Launched in northern Ivory Coast in early May, the joint military action, still underway, took place on the border between the two countries, near the village of Sangopari, northeast of the city of Ferkéssédougou.

Jihadists caught in the vice

Spotted for over a year, jihadist fighters operating in Burkina had found refuge in the area. It is precisely to dislodge them that the armies of the two countries have decided to take them in a vice. According to the Ivorian chief of staff, General Lassina Doumbia, union with neighboring Burkina Faso is necessary to counter the armed terrorist groups, which manage to unite.

The military did not detail the "tangible results" touted by the Burkinabé army, but a security source says that weapons were seized. A soldier from Burkina Faso, injured during the expedition, is hospitalized in Korhogo, a large town in the north of Côte d'Ivoire.

The military initiative is not entirely successful. A squadron chief of the Kong gendarmerie told a civilian about the operation, which "  probably  " made it possible for some jihadists to flee, according to a source familiar with the matter. The gendarme has been locked up since then.

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• Ivory Coast
• Burkina Faso
• Terrorism
• Diplomacy