Six civilians were killed and two were injured on the night of Thursday to Friday in a “terrorist attack” against a gold mine convoy in eastern Burkina Faso, the Burkinabe Army said today.
Five vehicles, from the London-based Endeavor Mining company’s Boungou mine, were attacked near the town of Nadiabonli, after leaving to help another supply convoy stuck in the mud for several days. .
“The five vehicles, for reasons yet to be determined, were left behind the convoy, outside the security system put in place by the military unit that provided the escort. Unfortunately, these circumstances favored the attack,” the Army explained in a statement.
“Six civilians died and two others were injured. The unit in charge of the escort was quickly reorganized to evacuate the victims. The wounded were evacuated by air and treated,” the official note added.
Burkina Faso has suffered since April 2015 jihadist attacks perpetrated by groups affiliated with Al Qaeda and the Islamic State.
The region hardest hit by insecurity is the Sahel (north), which shares a border with Mali and Niger, although jihadism has also spread to other neighboring areas, such as the Boucle du Mouhoun region (west), since 2017, and the eastern region of the country, since 2018.
Insecurity has caused the number of internally displaced persons in Burkina Faso to rise to nearly two million people, according to the latest government data.
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 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 head of state.
The military junta that has since ruled Burkina Faso is carrying out military operations against jihadist groups in various regions of the country.