OUAGADOUGOU, BURKANIA FACO: At least 44 civilians lost their lives in two separate terrorist attacks that took place in the Sahel region of northern Burkina Faso.
According to Sahel Region Governor Lt. Col. Rodolphe Sorgho, the attacks occurred overnight on Thursday in the villages of Kourakou and Tondobi, which are situated in the Seno province, about 5 kilometers from the Seytenga commune.
Sorgho stated that out of the 44 people killed, 31 were in Kourakou while the remaining 13 were in Tondobi. Additionally, several people were injured, and property damage was also reported.
The security forces are currently working to stabilize the region and ensure the safety of the residents. The insurgency, linked to terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and Daesh/ISIS, has been a major source of insecurity for Burkina Faso, with the violence spreading from neighboring Mali over the past decade.
According to the latest Global Terrorism Index (GTI) for 2023, the number of deaths attributed to terrorists in Burkina Faso rose by 50% in 2022 as compared to the previous year, with a total of 1,135 deaths recorded.
The security analysts point out that the political situation in the Sahel region further complicates the challenge of tackling terrorism. In June last year, a horrific massacre claimed the lives of over 100 people in Seytenga, a town located 15 kilometers away from the Niger border.
The recent attacks have once again highlighted the pressing need for effective measures to counter the threat of terrorism in Burkina Faso.
The impoverished Sahel country is grappling with a seven-year-old campaign by jihadists linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State.
A resident of Kourakou told AFP that “a large number of terrorists burst into the village” late on Thursday.
“All night long, we heard gunfire. It was on Friday morning that we saw that there were several dozen dead,” he added.
Local people said the village had been targeted in retaliation for the lynching of two jihadists a few days earlier who had tried to steal cattle.
It was one of the deadliest attacks since Captain Ibrahim Traoré came to power in a coup last September.
In February 51 soldiers were killed in an attack on Deou, in the far north of the country.
The latest twin attacks happened close to the village of Seytenga, where 86 civilians were killed last June in one of the bloodiest attacks of a long-running insurgency.
Burkina Faso’s new military chief this week vowed to step up a “dynamic offensive” against jihadists following a string of insurgent attacks since the start of the year.
“The dynamic offensive under way in the past few weeks will be stepped up to force armed groups to lay down their weapons,” said Colonel Célestin Simporé after a handover ceremony following his appointment last week.
Since the jihadists launched their campaign from neighbouring Mali in 2015, more than 10,000 civilians, troops and police have been killed, according to one NGO estimate, and at least 2 million people have been displaced.
Official figures say jihadists effectively control about 40% of the country.
Frustrations within the military led to two military coups last year. Traoré, who came to power in September, has vowed to fight back and recover conquered territory.
But the jihadists have carried out a succession of raids and ambushes since the start of the year, inflicting heavy tolls on civilians and military-escorted convoys.
Burkina’s beleaguered army has recently acquired foreign-made drones, and regularly issues video footage of strikes against purported terrorists and troops described as reconquering and securing lost territory.
Since Traoré seized power last year, the activities of all political parties and civil society organisations in the country have been suspended.
