“Simultaneous attacks” over the weekend in eastern Burkina Faso left 15 people, mostly civilians, dead, security officials and local sources told AFP on Tuesday.
The West African country is battling a jihadist insurgency that spilled over from neighboring Mali in 2015, leaving more than 17,000 civilians and soldiers dead and two million people displaced.
In the latest round of violence, “simultaneous and synchronized attacks” took place on Saturday in Diapaga, the capital city of eastern Tapoa province, killing 15 people, including three army auxiliaries, locals told AFP.
Condia Pierre Yongli, a spokesperson for local civil society organizations, confirmed this information, saying that schools, markets and public services in the area were suspended on Tuesday in memory of the victims, who were buried at the Diapaga Municipal Cemetery on Sunday. He added that he was buried.
Security officials said the military was carrying out retaliatory attacks.
“In the eastern part of the country, an integrated air-ground operation is underway, and we have already been able to neutralize more than 50 terrorists and remove several bases,” the official said.
Burkina Faso is ruled by a transitional government installed after a coup in September 2022.
The junta-led government is conscripting men over the age of 18 to fight against jihadism.
Source: guardian.ng