Burkina Faso: at least 12 civilians killed in an attack in the north

UPDATE DAY

At least twelve civilians were killed Thursday in an attack by suspected jihadists in northern Burkina Faso, AFP learned Monday from local sources. 

Thursday, a “group of terrorists” attacked the village of Aorema, located about ten kilometers from Ouahigouya, capital of the northern region, residents of the area told AFP.

“The attackers opened fire on a group of young people sitting in a kiosk (informal restaurant, editor’s note). Seven young people died on the spot and three people died in their homes, hit by stray bullets. Two other people, wounded by bullets, then succumbed to their wounds”, explained one of them.

According to another resident, the balance sheet amounts to “fourteen dead”, with several wounded who succumbed to their wounds in the days following the attack.

“It was the kiosk where the young people were gathered that was directly targeted by the terrorists who had already made incursions into the village, ordering the young people of the village not to gather there anymore,” he said.

The attack was confirmed by a security source, ensuring that “operations are underway” in the area, without giving an assessment.

The day after this attack, a curfew was introduced in the entire northern region of Burkina Faso, bordering Mali and regularly targeted by jihadists.

This curfew prohibits the movement of vehicles and people between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. until March 31.

Apart from the northern region, a curfew has been imposed in several provinces in the center-east, center-north and east for a duration ranging from one to three months.

Burkina Faso has experienced an intensification of jihadist violence since the beginning of the year, with several dozen deaths – civilians or soldiers – almost every week.

Violence attributed to groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State organization (IS), have since 2015 killed more than 10,000 people – civilians and soldiers – according to NGOs, and some two million placed.