Approximately 40 people have been killed in a string of Islamist strikes in Burkina Faso, according to sources on Friday.
According to locals and security sources who have knowledge of the most recent violence, roughly 20 people were slain in a series of attacks on communities in Burkina Faso’s turbulent north.
On Thursday morning, armed men raided three communities in the Yatenga district of the country.
A local resident reported Friday that “armed groups attacked the villages of Pelle, Zanna, and Nongfaire yesterday around 5 a.m. [local and GMT],” with a death toll of 25.
“Many others were wounded,” the resident claimed.
Another local claimed that soldiers and volunteers (citizen army auxiliary) “chased the assailants, who came on motorbikes.”
A security source verified the attack and estimated the number of fatalities at around 20, noting that search efforts were being made to identify the attackers.
Another security source claimed that the assailants “were hit by air support after taking refuge in the Barga forest.” “Many of them passed away.”
Eastern raids
An additional 20 individuals were reported dead earlier on Friday in separate jihadi-inspired strikes in eastern Burkina Faso.
At least 11 people, including two women and children, were killed in an armed raid on the village of Kaongo on Monday in the Koulpelogo province in the southeast of the country.
Two days later, a nearby town named Bilguimdoure was attacked, “leaving around 10 dead,” according to a local authority.
The officer stated that the attackers stole cattle and set fire to homes and businesses in the two villages.
Security force sources verified the attacks and stated that efforts were being made to safeguard the area.
Locals claimed that many were escaping the neighborhood out of fear of additional attacks.
Despite a crackdown by the army and the VDP, a voluntary civilian militia, Islamist terrorists have regularly targeted Koulpelogo, on the border of Burkina Faso with Togo and Ghana, this year.
At least 24 people, including 20 VDP members, were killed in two raids last month in the unrest-ridden area.
A Islamist insurgency that erupted in the impoverished landlocked Sahel state in 2015 after spreading from nearby Mali is causing great hardship there.
According to estimates from nongovernment organizations, more than 10,000 civilians, soldiers, and police have perished, at least 2 million people have fled their homes, and more than a third of the nation is no longer under government authority.
Two coups were started last year due to anger within the military about the rising death toll.
Doc released
Australian doctor Kenneth Elliott, 88, and his wife were kidnapped in Burkina Faso by jihadists with ties to al-Qaida more than seven years ago, according to the foreign minister of Australia, Penny Wong, who announced their release on Friday.
Since 1972, the pair has operated the only medical facility in the village of Djibo, which is close to the Mali border. Jocelyn, Elliott’s wife, was freed three weeks after the kidnapping.
According to the Australian authorities, her spouse arrived back home on Thursday evening.
According to Wong’s statement, Elliott’s family and the government “worked tirelessly” to secure his release. It made no mention of the specifics of his release.
