In Burkina Faso, Where Jihadists Are Active, At Least 12 People Have Died.
According to locals, 12 to 14 people died last week in northern Burkina Faso, an area that has been attacked by Islamist terrorists.
According to a local, “a bunch of terrorists” invaded the hamlet of Aorema on Thursday, which is close to the town of Ouahigouya. A security source acknowledged the incident but did not provide the number of victims.
One resident said that “the assailants opened fire on a bunch of young people” who were seated at an unofficial eatery.
“Seven people passed away immediately, while three more died after being struck by stray bullets in their houses. Two more persons passed away from injuries, the source said.
Another local said that more victims who later perished from their injuries brought the death toll to 14.
The informant said that “the terrorists” had visited the town in the past and advised children against congregating at the eatery.
Assault “operations were ongoing,” according to a security forces source who verified the incident.
The day following the incident, the government imposed a curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. in the North region and certain areas of the Center-East region until March 31.
Since jihadists poured in from neighboring Mali in 2015, more than 10,000 people have died there; more than two million people have left their homes; and at least a third of the nation is now under the authority of the rebels.
Army soldiers upset by the government’s inability to push back the jihadists staged two coups last year as a result of the shockwaves from the carnage.
Captain Ibrahim Traore, the nation’s most recent leader, came to power in September at the age of 34 and promised to reclaim territory that the jihadists had taken.
But, since the beginning of the year, assaults have picked up significantly, resulting in several weekly casualties among security personnel and the general populace.
One of the largest casualties was on February 17, when 51 soldiers were killed in an ambush in the far north, which the Islamic State organization claimed responsibility for.
