Burkina: a series of attacks leaves forty dead in the Centre-East and the north of the country
A Burkinabe soldier patrols in the town of Ouahigouya, Yatenga province, October 29, 2018. AFP - ISSOUF SANOGO
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In Burkina Faso, about forty people were killed in a series of attacks in the Centre-East and north of the country. These attacks were carried out between Monday and Thursday, by suspected jihadists.
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According to AFP, which was able to cross-check information from residents and security forces, three villages were attacked on Thursday in the northern province of Yatenga: Pellé, Zanna and Nongfaïré.
Assailants on motorcycles reportedly killed at least twenty people before being chased by Burkinabe soldiers, accompanied by Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland, their auxiliaries from local villages. According to security sources, an air strike was also carried out in retaliation on the Barga forest, where the attackers had taken refuge. Some of them were reportedly killed. There has been no official statement at this stage.
No claim
According to AFP, two other attacks took place on Monday and Wednesday, this time in the province of Koulpélogo, Centre-East region, on the border with Togo and Ghana. These two attacks had already left a dozen dead, in Kaongo, Monday, then another ten dead in Bilguimdouré, Wednesday.
According to local sources cited by AFP, women and children were among the victims. Houses and shops were set on fire, and cattle were swept away.
Not all of these attacks have been claimed, but they occurred in areas frequented by jihadist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda.
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Read on on the same topics:
- Burkina Faso
- Terrorism