Burkina Faso kills 39 terrorists in various anti-jihadist operations

The security forces of Burkina Faso have killed 39 terrorists this week in various operations against jihadism carried out in the north of the country, according to the Armed Forces.

In a statement issued late on Saturday, the Army indicated that the anti-terrorist offensive combined “ground actions and aerial interventions.”

The operation killed “at least nine terrorists” on the 26th near the town of Bourasso, in the province of Kossi, located in the Boucle du Mouhoun region, bordering Mali.

In the vicinity of the same town, a confrontation between an armed group and a military reconnaissance unit caused the death of “at least thirty terrorists” the next day, since the Army seized various combat material.

In the course of these operations, two soldiers died and seventeen were wounded, added the Armed Forces.

Burkina Faso has suffered frequent jihadist attacks since April 2015, carried out by groups linked to both al Qaeda and the Islamic State.

The region hardest hit by insecurity is the Sahel, which shares a border with Mali and Niger, although jihadism has also spread to other neighboring areas, and, since 2018, to the Eastern Region.

In November 2021, an attack on a Gendarmerie post caused 53 deaths (49 gendarmes and 4 civilians), which generated great social discontent that led to strong protests demanding the resignation of the then Burkinabe president, Roch Kaboré.

Months later, on January 24, the military seized power in a coup – the fourth in West Africa since August 2020 – and deposed the president.

Insecurity has caused the number of internally displaced persons in Burkina Faso to rise to more than 1.85 million people, according to the latest government data.