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Around 40 paramilitary members tragically lost their lives on Saturday in a brutal attack on a forestry post in eastern Burkina Faso.
The assault, which was claimed by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), occurred in the province of Gourma, situated in the eastern part of the country. Security officials confirmed the attack on Thursday, adding that it marked the deadliest assault on water and forestry officials in the region.
According to a security source, “The forestry post at Tandjari was the target of a violent terrorist attack that left around 40 dead.” Some of the victims’ bodies were recovered and taken to Fada N’Gourma for burial, while others remained unaccounted for, having been reduced to “charred remains” in the aftermath of the assault.
The second security source revealed the grisly discovery of “dozens of bodies” found in trenches around the post. The terrorists had stripped the victims of their weapons and had withdrawn before reinforcements could arrive.
The attack is seen as the deadliest targeting Burkina Faso’s forestry officials, with troops in a state of shock. The forestry post, which housed a paramilitary force, is poorly equipped to defend against such heavily armed jihadist groups, leaving personnel vulnerable to these coordinated assaults.
In addition to the attack on the forestry post, a separate assault on civilians in Titao, in the northwestern province of Loroum, left 12 dead, including seven Ghanaians. JNIM claimed responsibility for both this attack and several recent assaults on military posts in the region.
The military junta in Burkina Faso continues to battle groups aligned with both Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, intensifying the country’s struggle to maintain control over its northern and eastern territories.
This wave of attacks highlights the ongoing instability in the Sahel region as Burkina Faso faces increasing challenges from jihadist insurgencies.
