At least 14 people have been killed in two attacks by Islamic extremists in northern Burkina Faso, local sources and security forces told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Tuesday.
“Armed individuals attacked the village of Safi, located in the town of Boala, near Kaya, at dawn on Monday. Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland [VDP] who were directly attacked lost eight items,” a security forces source told AFP.
Several other VDP elements were also injured in the attack, the same source said, adding that “on the same day, near Markoye in Oudalan province, armed individuals killed six civilians and took vehicles and other property.” .
“Terrorists kidnapped three young men on the Salmossi-Markoye highway, who were later found dead in the bush during the day. [de segunda-feira]”A family member of the victims told AFP.
Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been the regular scene of attacks by Islamic extremist groups, with increasing frequency, killing thousands of people and forcing an estimated two million to flee their homes.
Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who led a military coup on September 30 against Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, was sworn in as leader of the transitional government by the Constitutional Council on October 21 and set the goal of “recovering the occupied territory by the terrorists.” .
This was the second coup in Burkina Faso in eight months, and the leaders of the coup always emphasized the deteriorating security situation.
On January 24, soldiers led by Damiba had overthrown the president, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, accused of failing to respond to attacks.
On October 25, the new government launched the recruitment of 50,000 civilians to the organization Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland, civilian auxiliaries of the army, to “strengthen the ranks of the army in the fight against terrorism.”
Source: TSF
