Suspected jihadists kill at least 22 soldiers, militia in Burkina Faso

 

At least 22 soldiers and civilian militia were killed in suspected attacks by extremists at the weekend in northern Burkina Faso, security sources told AFP on Tuesday.

Around 14 military personnel and seven civilian army volunteers were killed at a military base in Di, near Dedougou, on Saturday morning, while there were several deaths at Solhan, two sources said.

One described “heavy human and material losses”, without elaborating.

Burkina Faso has been led by a military junta since September 2022 but has been battling deadly offensives by jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group for more than a decade.

The military has brought in civilians to help them in the fight but they have paid a high price.

A police source said there was a third attack on Sunday targeting a military post in Seguenega, near Kaya in the north-central region.

“These assaults in different regions were carefully coordinated to inflict the greatest possible losses but the vigorous response on all sides succeeded in thwarting all these attacks,” they added.

“Since Saturday, the response and pursuit conducted in coordination with the high command made it possible to neutralise several dozen terrorists and to recover various military equipment and logistical resources.”

AFP