Unknown assailants have killed as many as 44 people in two attacks in the West African country of Burkina Faso. The incident transpired overnight on Thursday and the villages of Kourakou and Tondobi in the Sahel region, near the Niger border were targetted.
Rodolphe Sorgho, lieutenant-governor of the Sahel region dubbed the killing as ‘despicable’ and ‘barbaric’, adding that the toll was provisional and could rise.
The region is bustling with Islamist groups linked to deadly terror outfits al Qaeda and Islamic State. However, it was unclear which group carried out the attack in the dead of the night. Authorities probing the case have blamed the attack on ‘armed terrorist groups’.
Such incidents have become a normal phenomenon in the African country. Earlier this year, 51 soldiers were killed in an ambush by jihadists in the northern region. Though the army suffered heavy damage, 160 assailants were also killed in the exchange.
The incident came a month after Burkina Faso’s former colonial ruler France confirmed that it was withdrawing its troops stationed in Burkina.
Army chief vows to step up operations
With the frequency of insurgent attacks increasing, the Burkina Army chief said ‘dynamic offensive’ was being stepped up against the jihadists.
“The dynamic offensive underway in the past few weeks will be stepped up to force armed groups to lay down their weapons,” said Colonel Celestin Simpore, adding, “Certain operations will be carried out in coordination with fellow armies in neighbouring countries.”
Jihadist war-torn country of Burkina Faso
Being one of the poorest countries, Burkina Faso is undergoing a violent cycle after witnessing two coups last year. It is battling jihadist insurgency which spilled over eight years ago in 2015 from the neighbouring country of Mali, which is also incidentally run by the military.
According to reports, the violence has led to the death of over 10,000 while two million people have been displaced, with no end to the jihadist violence in sight.
“Growing insecurity and conflict means vulnerability is increasing in the region, and it is getting harder to help communities in isolated areas,” said UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Marie-Pierre Poirie.
With jihadist violence rising in Burkina Faso, the US is preparing to send long-term assistance to neighbouring countries of Ivory Coast, Benin and Togo. Washington believes that violence could spill into coastal West Africa which could destabilise the region.
“It’s a significant and burgeoning threat. It’s something of concern to us because the capabilities of the governments in place – they’ve never faced a threat like this before,” said Michael Heath, the deputy assistant secretary of state in charge of West Africa
(With inputs from agencies)
