Militants kill dozens in Burkina Faso attack

Dozens of people, including civilians, were killed in a brutal attack by militants in Burkina Faso, local and security sources reported on Sunday.

The attack occurred on Saturday in the village of Barsalogho, located in the north-central region of the country.

Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been plagued by a relentless insurgency led by jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. This conflict has resulted in thousands of deaths and forced over two million people to flee their homes.

The latest assault underscores the continuing violence and instability in the region, as armed groups continue to target civilians and local communities.

Denouncing the “cowardly and barbaric attack”, Communications Minister Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo said it was carried out by “hordes of criminals”.

The assailants targeted “women, children, elderly, men, making no distinction”, Ouedraogo said on national television.

A local resident told AFP by phone that the assault happened around 9:00 am on Saturday, when “terrorist groups attacked the village, killing numerous civilians and security personnel”.

A security source who asked not to be named said there were “several dozen dead” including civilians and security forces.

Most of the “numerous wounded” were taken to a hospital in the regional capital of Kaya, some 45 kilometres (28 miles) away, the source added.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to another local resident, the victims were mainly “young civilians, who came out in large numbers to help the soldiers dig trenches around the town, to protect themselves from possible attacks by armed terrorist groups”.

A second security source said that “the response of the soldiers” and auxiliary troops “made it possible to neutralise several terrorists and avoid a greater tragedy”.

According to a hospital source in Kaya, more than 100 wounded people were taken to the city’s largest medical centre.

The chief of the centre called on all personnel to come in to deal with the “emergency linked to a massive influx of patients since the morning of (Saturday) August 24”, according to an internal note seen by AFP.

Security Minister Mahamadou Sana said civilians were killed in the attack, despite “a response and air support”.

Soldiers and members of a civilian force that supports the military — Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP) — were also killed according to Sana.

After taking power in a putsch in September 2022, Burkina’s coup leaders expelled troops and diplomats from former colonial ruler France, and have turned to Russia for military assistance.