Officials said on Sunday that at least 32 defense volunteers and 10 troops had perished in suspected jihadist strikes in northern Burkina Faso, which has been severely affected by the conflict.
According to a statement from the Ouahigouya governorate, a group of military and civilian volunteers were the target of an attack by unidentified armed men on Saturday… at about 4:00 pm” close to the village of Aorema.
Eight soldiers and 32 defense volunteers were among the 40 fatalities, according to the army, which also claimed that “at least 50 terrorists” were “neutralized” during the counterattack, including several who were killed in airstrikes.
The same source claims that on Sunday, “another attack targeted the military detachment of Kongoussi (Bam province, North Central region),” resulting in “two soldiers” being killed and “about 20 terrorists neutralized.”
33 victims of the initial attack were listed as being “in stable condition” and receiving care in the regional capital, according to the governorate of the northern region.
The unit attacked on Saturday was tasked with safeguarding “the security of the Ouahigouya airfield that was targeted,” according to a security source contacted by AFP.
“Heavy fighting did indeed take place yesterday (Saturday) night” for “almost two hours,” said a local.
On Friday, he added, “several air strikes targeted positions of suspected jihadists.
The military junta in Burkina Faso had announced a “general mobilization” on Thursday to provide the country with “all necessary means” to resist a wave of brutal attacks that were attributed to jihadists connected to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
– State of emergency –
Although the plan’s specifics were not made public, a security source told AFP that it would include “a state of emergency for the affected territories”.
An “advisory” that grants the president “the right to requisition people, goods and services and the right to restrain certain civil liberties” was also issued, according to a different security source.
To help clothe army members, the defense minister requested on Tuesday that active-duty and retired military personnel turn in any unused uniforms.
In two towns in the northeast, close to the Niger border, “armed terrorist groups” reportedly slaughtered 44 civilians last week.
After 51 soldiers were slain in February at Deou, in the extreme north, it was one of the bloodiest attacks against civilians since Captain Ibrahim Traore took office in September of last year.
The insurrection that has engulfed one of the world’s poorest nations since 2015 was already the subject of a government announcement the same month, which included a pledge to enlist 5,000 additional soldiers.
The goal set forward by Traore, the interim leader of Burkina Faso, is to retake the 40% of the nation’s territory held by jihadists.
According to non-governmental assistance organizations, the violence has resulted in more than 10,000 fatalities and the eviction of two million people from their homes.
