At least 18 civilians, including sixteen army auxiliaries, were killed on Thursday January 19 during two attacks by suspected jihadists in the north and north-west of Burkina Faso, AFP learned on Friday from security sources.
"
The first attack targeted an outpost of the volunteers for the defense of the homeland (VDP) in Rakoegtenga
", a town located in the province of Bam (North), said a VDP official.
According to the same source, “
the toll of this attack is six fallen volunteers (killed, editor’s note).
A woman was also killed in the attack, bringing the death toll to seven
.
A country plagued by jihadism
"
We also recorded a dozen wounded, some of whom were seriously affected and were evacuated to Ouagadougou for appropriate care,
" continued the VDP official.
According to him, the second attack took place in the province of Nayala (North-West) "
in the afternoon, when a convoy escorted by volunteers and soldiers fell into an ambush on the Siena-Saran axis
»;
the attack killed a dozen auxiliaries and a civilian.
Security sources joined by AFP confirmed the two "
jihadist attacks
" without giving a precise assessment, only mentioning "
many losses among the security elements
".
Burkina Faso, particularly in its northern half, has been confronted since 2015 with increasing attacks by jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
They left thousands dead and at least two million displaced.
The “reconquest” as an objective
Last week, around 60 women and infants were abducted near Arbinda in northern Burkina, by suspected jihadists.
Captain Ibrahim Traoré, transitional president resulting from a military coup on September 30, the second in eight months, has set himself the objective of "
recapturing the territory occupied by these hordes of terrorists
".
Read also: Undermined by jihadism, Burkina Faso threatens to collapse
At the end of 2022, the government launched a campaign to recruit new auxiliaries to help the army in its fight against the jihadists.
Of the needs estimated at 50,000, 90,000 people have registered.
The VDPs currently receive 14 days of civic and military training before being armed and provided with means of communication.
They pay a heavy price in the attacks of the jihadists who control 40% of Burkinabe territory.
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