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At least eight soldiers in Burkina Faso were killed in attacks last month on a military outpost in the country’s north, security and local sources confirmed on Saturday.
The assaults, claimed by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), forced residents to flee an area long plagued by violence.
“The Gomboro detachment in Sourou province was attacked twice last month, first on September 12, and then on September 25,” a security source told AFP, requesting anonymity. “Around 10 people were killed, with many more injured.”
The source said the fatalities included soldiers and members of civilian self-defence militias. A separate security source confirmed that eight soldiers died in the attacks.
Burkina Faso has been under the rule of a military junta for nearly three years, led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who promised to restore security.
Yet, large parts of the country remain vulnerable to attacks by armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
In an interview with local media on Sunday, Traoré blamed the army’s under-equipment at the time of his 2022 coup for the persistent insecurity.
