11 killed, 50 missing after attack on convoy in Burkina Faso

Ouagadougou, Sep 28 (EFE).- At least 11 soldiers were killed and 50 civilians are missing after a jihadist attack on a 150-vehicle supply convoy in the troubled north of Burkina Faso, the government said Wednesday.

The convoy, escorted by the military, was attacked on Monday by “terrorists” near the commune of Gaskinde in the Sahel’s Soum province, government spokesman Wendkouni Joël Lionel Bilgo said in a statement.

Twenty-eight people were also wounded, including 20 soldiers, he added.

The attack against the convoy, which was destined for the city of Djibo, just over 20 kilometers from Gaskinde, also caused significant material damage, said Bilgo.

Burkina Faso has experienced frequent jihadist attacks since April 2015, carried out by groups linked to both al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

The region of Burkina Faso most affected by insecurity is the Sahel, which shares a border with Mali and Niger, although jihadism has also spread to other neighboring areas and, since 2018, to the east of the country.

In November last year, an attack on a security post killed 53 – 49 gendarmes and four civilians – which generated great social discontent that led to protests demanding the resignation of President Roch Marc Christian Kabore.

A few months later, on Jan. 24, the military, led by Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, seized power in a coup, deposing the president and sparking further violence in the country. Damiba promised to crack down on armed groups and later took on the defense minister post.

Insecurity has caused the number of internally displaced persons in Burkina Faso to rise to almost 2 million people, according to government data. EFE

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