Attacks on Burkina army base, villages kill dozens, sources say
The army base in Djibo came under attack on Sunday morning, and a police station and market were also targeted, two security sources said.
Soldiers, pro-government militiamen and civilians were among the dead, though a comprehensive toll was not available as of Monday, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from the government.
"Many of our men have fallen, soldiers as well as (militia) fighters. Arms have also been taken. On the population side too, there were many losses in human life," one of the sources said.
The Djibo base has come under attack multiple times, including in October 2022, when 10 soldiers were killed and 50 wounded, according to an army statement at the time.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest attack. The area is near where Al Qaeda affiliate JNIM operates.
Burkina Faso is ruled by Ibrahim Traore who seized power in a coup in 2022, promising to turn the tide against a jihadist insurgency that has spread across the region since it first took root in Mali 13 years ago.
Militant attacks persist in much of the country.
In the southern province of Koulpelogo, near the border with Togo, three villages - Bousgou, Salemboare and Yonde - came under attack over several days starting on Thursday evening of last week, killing at least 58 civilians, according to Segda Bila, a member of the committee tasked with burying the dead.
Burkina Faso's military government has faced criticism by rights groups over measures it has taken in the name of national security.
On Monday, Human Rights Watch, opens new tab said the army had "participated in the massacre of more than 130, possibly many more, ethnic Fulani civilians" carried out by pro-government militia fighters in the western Boucle du Mouhoun region in March.
A government spokesman in March dismissed images circulating online purporting to depict those killings as a "disinformation campaign" of "false information aimed at undermining social cohesion."
The government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Islamic State and al-Qaida threat is intense in Africa, with growing risks in Syria, UN experts say
The threat from Islamic State and al-Qaida extremists and their affiliates is most intense in parts of Africa, and risks are growing in Syria, which both groups view as a 'a strategic base for external operations,' U.N. experts said in a new report. Their report to the U.N. Security Council circulated Wednesday said West Africa 's al-Qaida-linked Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin group, known as JNIM, and East Africa 's al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab have continued to increase the territory under their control. The experts monitoring sanctions against the two groups said 'the organization's pivot towards parts of Africa continued" partly because of Islamic State losses in the Middle East due to counterterrorism pressures. There are also 'increasing concerns about foreign terrorist fighters returning to Central Asia and Afghanistan, aiming to undermine regional security,' they said. The Islamic State also continues to represent 'the most significant threat' to Europe and the Americas, the experts said, often by individuals radicalized via social media and encrypted messaging platforms by its Afghanistan-based Khorasan group. In the United States, the experts said several alleged terrorist attack plots were 'largely motivated by the Gaza and Israel conflict,' or by individuals radicalized by IS, also known as ISIL. They pointed to an American who pledged support to IS and drove into a crowd in New Orleans on Jan. 1, killing 14 people in the deadliest attack by al-Qaida or the Islamic State in the U.S. since 2016. In addition, they said, 'Authorities disrupted attacks, including an ISIL-inspired plot to conduct a mass shooting at a military base in Michigan,' and the IS Khorasan affiliate issued warnings of plots targeting Americans. In Africa's Sahel region, the experts said, JNIM expanded its area of operations, operating 'with relative freedom' in northern Mali and most of Burkina Faso. There was also a resurgence of activity by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, 'particularly along the Niger and Nigeria border, where the group was seeking to entrench itself.' 'JNIM reached a new level of operational capability to conduct complex attacks with drones, improvised explosive devices and large numbers of fighters against well-defended barracks,' the experts said. In East Africa, they said, 'al-Shabab maintained its resilience, intensifying operations in southern and central Somalia' and continuing its ties with Yemen's Houthi rebels. The two groups have reportedly exchanged weapons and the Houthis have trained al-Shabab fighters, they said. Syria, the experts said, remains 'in a volatile and precarious phase,' six months after the ouster of President Bashar Assad, with unnamed countries warning of growing risks posed by both IS and al-Qaida. 'Member states estimated that more than 5,000 foreign terrorist fighters were involved in the military operation in which Damascus was taken on Dec. 8,' the experts' 27-page report said. Syria's new interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa led the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, once an al-Qaida affiliate that later split from it. He has promised that the country will transition to a system that includes Syria's mosaic of religious and ethnic groups under fair elections, but skeptics question whether that will actually happen. The experts expressed concern at the Syrian military's announcement of several senior appointments including 'prominent Syrian armed faction leaders' and six positions for foreigners — three with the rank of brigadier general and three with the rank of colonel. 'The ideological affiliation of many of these individuals was unknown, although several were likely to hold violent extremist views and external ambitions," the report said. As for financing, the experts said the HTS takeover in Syria was considered to pose financial problems for the Islamic State and likely to lead to a decline in its revenues. Salaries for Islamic State fighters were reduced to $50-$70 per month and $35 per family, 'lower than ever, and not paid regularly, suggesting financial difficulties,' said the experts, who did not give previous salaries or family payments. They said both al-Qaida and the Islamic State vary methods to obtain money according to locations and their ability to exploit resources, tax local communities, kidnap for ransom and exploit businesses. While the extremist groups predominantly move money through cash transfers and informal money transfer systems known as hawalas, the experts said the Islamic State has increasingly used female couriers and hawala systems where data is stored in the cloud to avoid detection, and 'safe drop boxes' where money is deposited at exchange offices and can only be retrieved with a password or code.
The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
Attack on military base in Burkina Faso kills about 50 soldiers, residents say
An attack by an armed group on a military base in northern Burkina Faso has left about 50 soldiers dead, according to accounts by a community leader and a resident on Tuesday. The Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin group, or JNIM, was suspected of carrying out the attack Monday on the base in Dargo in Boulsa province in the northern region of the landlocked West African nation. The two sources, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they feared repercussions from the military, said about 100 militants participated in the attack, and that the gunmen burned and looted the base after the killings. The military government has yet to publicly acknowledge the attack. JNIM, one of several armed groups conducting attacks across West Africa, has been blamed for hundreds of civilian and military deaths. Burkina Faso is witnessing a surge in attacks by armed groups who are in control of most of the country, especially outside of the capital. The deteriorating security situation has led to political shifts in the country and served as the pretext for back-to-back coups. The military leader, Ibrahim Traore, has been unable to rein in the Islamist groups despite his redrawing of political and military allies.
Reuters
6 days ago
- Reuters
Ghana deploys soldiers to quell northern chieftancy dispute
ACCRA, July 28 (Reuters) - Ghana has deployed more soldiers to a northeastern region where a long-running conflict over chieftancy has fuelled recent violence, including attacks on schools, a spokesperson for President John Dramani Mahama said. The Bawku chieftaincy conflict, which goes back decades, has remained one of Ghana's most protracted ethnic flash points, often resulting in violent clashes and loss of lives. It is rooted in a dispute between the Mamprusi and Kusaasi ethnic groups over who can appoint a chief for the area. Mediation efforts by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, known as the Asantehene, Ghana's most revered traditional ruler, had "almost brought finality to the conflict" but recent killings have "necessitated drastic actions" to control it, presidential spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu said in his statement on Sunday. Violence in the area last week included the killing of a Kusaasi chief as well as three high school students by gunmen who stormed their campuses, according to local media reports. Ofosu did not specify on Sunday how many additional soldiers were being deployed to the area near the border with Burkina Faso. Some soldiers were already present in the area, but officials have not disclosed details. In a separate statement, Ofosu said a curfew would be in place from 1400 GMT until 0600 GMT "until further notice". He said the measure would help restore order and facilitate the evacuation of students.
