At least 35 civilians were killed and 37 others wounded on Monday when an improvised device exploded as a supply convoy passed through northern Burkina Faso, between Djibo and Bourzanga, the governor of Burkina Faso’s Sahel region said.
“One of the vehicles carrying civilians in said convoy exploded on contact with an improvised explosive device, Colonel Rodolphe Sorghum.
These convoys, escorted by the army, supply towns in the north blocked by jihadist groups.
A jihadist attack in early August
“Elements of the escort quickly secured the perimeter and took measures to provide assistance to the victims. The wounded were treated and the difficult cases were evacuated to adequate structures,” continues the press release, which indicates that the convoy departed from the north of the country to go to the capital Ouagadougou.
“The supply convoy was made up of civilian drivers and merchants,” a security source said.
In early August, fifteen soldiers were killed on the same Djibo-Bourzanga axis in a double attack with improvised explosive devices.
In recent weeks, jihadist groups have used dynamite to destroy sites along the main thoroughfares leading to Burkina Faso’s two major northern cities, Dori and Djibo, in an attempt to isolate them.
Burkina Faso, where soldiers seized power in January with the promise of making the fight against jihadists their priority, is facing, like several neighboring countries, the violence of armed movements affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, which since 2015 have caused thousands of deaths and some two million displaced people.
More than 40% of Burkina Faso’s territory is outside state control, according to official figures, and attacks have increased since the beginning of the year.
Source: BFM TV
