OUAGADOUGOU: Dozens of people, including soldiers and civilians, were killed in suspected militant attacks over the past week in Burkina Faso, AFP reported while citing security and local sources. At least four attacks targeted military contingents since last Sunday, mostly in the restive north of the country.
On Saturday, a major attack was reported on the military base at Nouna in the northwest. A local source stated that “a large group of heavily armed terrorists attacked the military base at Nouna,” leading to “several victims” among military and civilian populations. A security source confirmed the attack and mentioned that another almost simultaneous attack targeted a different northern detachment but was also repelled.
Militant Attacks in Burkina Faso
Two additional attacks on military bases occurred on December 24. The Solle detachment faced a large-scale attack with casualties recorded, but the military response, including air strikes, successfully repelled the attackers. The GSIM militant alliance claimed responsibility for this attack, asserting that around 60 soldiers were killed.
On the same day, a gendarmerie base at Gorgadji in the northern Sahel region was targeted by a large group of fighters arriving on motorcycles. While the military government, established after the September 2022 coup, seldom comments on tolls from suspected militant attacks, state television reported “more than 30 terrorists were killed,” with the army destroying three militant bases in the northwest.
Burkina Faso has been grappling with a surge in militant violence since 2015, perpetrated by groups. These groups had already been active in neighbouring Mali and Niger.
