Attack in Burkina Faso claims dozens of soldiers and volunteers

In a state-led effort to reclaim a town in Yatenga province, militants attacked security forces, according to the army.

In “intense” combat with alleged jihadists in the northern region of the West African nation, 53 members of Burkina Faso’s security forces and dozens of assailants have been slain, according to authorities there.

The Burkina Faso Armed Forces said in a statement on Tuesday that the victims included 17 soldiers and 36 volunteer fighters. They also noted that another 30 people had been hurt. Along with neutralising numerous attacks, Ouagadougou claimed doing so.

According to the army general command, the battles took place on Monday in Yatenga province during an operation by national troops to reclaim the town of Koumbri “to allow the resettlement” of residents who had been displaced “for more than two years.”

Several incidents and harassment fire were encountered by [the 12th Commando Infantry Regiment] as it advanced… It said, “Our fighters’ courage and tenacity allowed us to repel the attack, put up a valiant defence, and neutralise a number of dozen terrorists.

Since 2015, the Sahelian country has been waging a war against an Islamist insurgency that is believed to have originated in nearby Mali and has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people and the eviction of almost two million more, according to the UN.

In an effort to reclaim the 40% of the country’s territory that armed groups had taken from it, Burkina Faso’s military administration declared a “general mobilisation” in April.

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In response to charges that the French army had failed to quell the jihadist insurgency, Paris withdrew its troops and ceased operations in the country of West Africa on the orders of its military overlords.

In the struggle against violent militancy, the former French colony has come to rely more and more on the Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland (VDH), who were formally established in 2020 as civilian auxiliary forces of the national army.

The army reported on Saturday that an attack in Silmiougou, a city in the middle of the nation, resulted in the deaths of four VDH officers and a police officer. A raid in April claimed the lives of 34 unpaid fighters.