At least 22 soldiers and civilian militia were killed in suspected attacks by extremists at the weekend in northern Burkina Faso, security sources told AFP on Tuesday.
Around 14 military personnel and seven civilian army volunteers were killed at a military base in Di, near Dedougou, on Saturday morning, while there were several deaths at Solhan, two sources said.
One described “heavy human and material losses,” without elaborating.
Burkina Faso has been led by a military junta since September 2022 but has been battling deadly offensives by jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group for more than a decade.
The military has brought in civilians to help them in the fight but they have paid a high price.
A police source said there was a third attack on Sunday targeting a military post in Seguenega, near Kaya in the north-central region.
“These assaults in different regions were carefully coordinated to inflict the greatest possible losses but the vigorous response on all sides succeeded in thwarting all these attacks,” they added.
“Since Saturday, the response and pursuit conducted in coordination with the high command made it possible to neutralise several dozen terrorists and to recover various military equipment and logistical resources.”
The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), which is affiliated to Al-Qaeda, on Monday claimed responsibility for several attacks “against positions of the Burkinabe army” and “the deaths of several Burkinabe soldiers.”
Tensions
Burkina Faso’s junta has stopped reporting the number of soldiers killed in attacks for several years but occasionally reports figures for its counterattacks, which AFP cannot verify from independent sources.
Last week, for example, the army high command said it had killed “more than 400 terrorists” after “complex and coordinated attacks” against its positions in the Sirba and Sebba regions.
It linked the attacks with the breaking off of diplomatic relations with former colonial power France, accusing it of supporting the jihadists and “fuelling the distorted narrative of the security situation.”
Ougadougou has severed its ties with Paris after years of tensions, accusing France of “relentless activism” against its interests.
France in response said it “regretted” the “hostile and unfounded” decision from the military government, then announced that it had withdrawn all its diplomats from Burkina Faso.
It also said all Burkinabe diplomats should leave France by Monday night. Claims that France supported jihadist groups, it added, were “completely false.”
As early as 2023, the junta demanded the recall of France’s ambassador to Ouagadougou.
It also kicked out French forces who were deployed in Burkina Faso to help fight jihadist groups across the Sahel region.
Burkina Faso has since forged ties with new partners, including Russia, and formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) with Mali and Niger, which are also run by the military.
