Brutal Attacks in Northern Burkina Faso Claim 170 Lives, Including Women and Children

Authorities in Burkina Faso have confirmed that about 170 people, including women and children, were killed in “massive bloody attacks” that targeted three villages in the north of the country on a single day last week. Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been experiencing jihadist violence attributed to armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, resulting in nearly 20,000 deaths and over two million displaced individuals.

On the same day, February 25, a separate attack targeted a mosque and another hit a church in this West African nation. The Public Prosecutor of Ouahigouya in the north, Ali Benjamin Coulibaly, stated on Sunday that he was informed of “massive bloody attacks in the villages of Komsilga, Nouda, and Soro” in Yatenga Province, resulting in the execution of around 170 individuals. Additional injuries and material damages were reported, though the attackers’ identities remain unspecified.

Coulibaly has directed the judicial police to launch an investigation to clarify the circumstances of these condemnations and incidents. He urged anyone with information about these events to contact the authorities. An investigation team visited the affected villages on February 29 to gather all evidence and reach conclusions.

Residents in the area, contacted by a news agency, confirmed that dozens of women and children were among the victims. These attacks were separate from other violent incidents on the same day, including assaults on a mosque in Natiaboani in the east and a Catholic church in the village of Isekaani in the north, resulting in dozens and at least 15 deaths, respectively.

Security sources highlighted other attacks on February 25, including those on the Tankoualou military detachment in the east and the 16th Rapid Intervention Battalion near Kongoussi in the north, where the army and civilian supporters reportedly neutralized several hundred terrorists.

Security Minister Mohammed Sana acknowledged in a national television statement that the country witnessed several coordinated and simultaneous attacks over the previous weekend. He attributed the change in enemy tactics to the destruction of terrorist bases, and training camps, and efforts to cut off their funding sources and control supply lines.

Since 2015, Burkina Faso, now governed by the military following a 2022 coup, has faced jihadist violence leading to nearly 20,000 deaths and over two million displacements. In January alone, 439 individuals were killed in such incidents, according to estimates by the non-governmental organization ACLED, which tracks conflict-related casualties worldwide.

GAROWE ONLINE