Another set of deadly attacks attributed to armed jihadists against civilians and the military have been witnessed in Burkina Faso with at least 50 civilians dead.
The latest attacks, which was carried out on Wednesday against the commune of Madjoari is the bloodiest since the one perpetrated nearly a year ago in Solhan, in the northeast, which killed 132 people.
The governor of the eastern region, Colonel Hubert Yameogo, in a statement sent to media houses on Thursday said “residents of Madjoari”, a locality under blockade by jihadists and who were trying to leave it, “were targeted” near a bridge “by unidentified armed individuals”
“The provisional death toll is “around 50 people killed”, he said.
Terrorist activity in Burkina Faso has involved religious terrorism conducted by foreign-based organizations, although some activity occurs because of communal frustration over the lack of economic development. Recent attacks are concentrated in the Hauts-Bassins, Boucle du Mouhoun, Nord, Sahel, and East regions, along the border with Mali and Niger.
A series of attacks in Ouagadougou in 2016, 2017, and 2018 by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and its affiliates was particularly deadly, garnering international attention.
For the past two months, attacks against civilians and soldiers in the north and east of the country have been regular and have left around 200 dead. Last Sunday, two villages in northern Burkina Faso were attacked with 11 civilians killed.