On 24th August, at least 200 people were killed, including civilians and armed personnel, and 140 were reported injured in a terrorist attack in central Burkina Faso. The terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), has claimed responsibility for the attack. The incident took place in Barsalogho, located 40 km north of the strategic town of Kaya. According to reports, Barsalogho is home to the last standing force protecting the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou.
The terrorists opened fire on a group of people who were digging trenches designed to protect security outposts. Following the attack, several soldiers went missing, and the terrorists seized their weapons along with a military ambulance. JNIM also posted some horrifying videos of the aftermath of the attack to claim responsibility.
Al Jazeera’s Nicholas Haque, reporting from Dakar, Senegal, said in a statement, “We see men, women, and children lying inside the trenches they were digging themselves. Effectively, they have turned into mass graves.” Medical teams were called from Kaya to treat the injured. Reportedly, the Burkina Faso Army was aware of the possible attack and had called on the people to help dig trenches.
So far, Burkina Faso forces have lost control of half of their territory to JNIM and other terrorist groups linked to al-Qaeda. According to News Central Africa, the Burkina Faso forces said in a statement that despite the severity of the attack and the high number of deaths due to the terrorist attack, the armed forces managed to counter the attack and neutralised several terrorists, which prevented an even greater tragedy.
In 2022, the military leaders of Burkina Faso came to power in a coup. However, since then, they have faced several attempted coups due to discontent over the way these leaders have fought against the terrorist groups. Thousands of people have been killed, and over two million people have been displaced in Burkina Faso over more than a decade. The situation is so severe in the country that it topped the recent Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) list of the world’s most neglected displacement crises.
When the military leaders took over the country, France and other Western countries were helping Burkina Faso tackle the terrorist groups. However, after coming to power, the military leaders severed ties with them, resulting in a rapid loss of territory. Now, Burkina Faso has called for help from Russian mercenary fighters for support to help put an end to attacks by terrorist groups.
In 2023 alone, 8,400 people were killed, which was double the number compared to 2022. Al-Qaeda and Islamic State-linked terrorist groups have been initiating attacks in Burkina Faso since 2015.
