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At least 11 civilians, mostly volunteer militia fighters supporting the army, have been killed in an attack in northern Burkina Faso, according to residents and security sources on Thursday.
The assault, which occurred on Wednesday in the town of Bagare in Passore province, was claimed by the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), which said it had seized a military position belonging to the Burkinabe militias without giving further details.
A resident said the attackers arrived on motorcycles around mid-afternoon and opened fire for over an hour, adding that they also set fire to shops, vehicles and motorcycles during the raid.
“Yesterday at around 3:00 pm (1500 GMT), heavily armed terrorists on motorcycles carried out an attack in the town of Bagare.
“The gunfire lasted over an hour and the terrorists set fire to dozens of shops, vehicles and motorcycles.”
Another local source said members of the Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland were among those killed, noting that they appeared to have been directly targeted. The reported death toll, however, was still described as preliminary.
A regional security source confirmed that a militia position was attacked but said security forces mounted a response that pushed the attackers back, without providing further details.
Residents also said people from nearby villages, previously affected by terrorist violence, had taken refuge in Bagare before the latest attack.
The military authorities in Burkina Faso have increasingly relied on civilian auxiliaries to support counter-insurgency operations against groups linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State, particularly in the northern regions.
One resident called for stronger military reinforcement, warning that without improved security, communities risk further displacement toward larger towns and the capital.
The attack came as the government launched a wider military operation to strengthen security across the country, following a series of coordinated militant attacks in the region.
