Burkina Faso massacre: Al-Qaeda-linked group claims responsibility for attack that killed up to 200
Up to 200 people are dead and 140 injured in an attack by an armed group linked to al-Qaeda, according to local reports.
The group Jama’at Nursrat al-Islam wal-Mulsimin (JNIM) has taken responsibility for Saturday’s massacre in the Barsalogho region, Al Jazeera reports.
The region lies just north of the town of Kaya, which experts have identified as the location of the last organised force protecting the African nation’s capital, Ougadougou.
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A number of soldiers were also reported missing after the attack with the JNIM fighters believed to have stolen weapons and a military ambulance from the site.
The militants also posted the carnage left by the assault.
“We see men, women and children laying inside the trenches they were digging themselves. Effectively they have turned into mass graves,” said Al Jazeera reporter Nicholas Haque.
He added that the actual trenches were being dug as a pre-emptive measure given that Burkina Faso forces were aware an attack by the jihadist rebels was looming.
“That shows the desperation of Burkina Faso’s forces, who have lost control of half of their territory to armed groups linked to al-Qaeda,” he said.
A local Barsalogho resident confirmed the attack to AFP by phone.
“Yesterday, around 9am, terrorist groups attacked the village, killing numerous civilians and security personnel,” the local said.
Another said most of the victims were the “young civilians, who came out in large numbers to help the soldiers dig trenches around the town”.
Le Monde reported that more than 140 injured people were transported 45km away to Kaya’s largest hospital.
Burkina Faso has been wracked by a grinding insurgency being waged by rebels affiliated with al-Qaeda and Islamic State. Since 2015 the struggle has left thousands dead and two million displaced.
The West African country is currently ruled by military leader Captain Ibrahim Traore, who promised to fast-track the nation’s transition towards democracy during the military coup he led in 2022.
Despite his pledge, he announced in June, 2024 that transition would be extended for five more years due to the military’s struggle against the armed groups and rebels aligned with al Qaeda and Islamic State who currently have nearly half of the nation in their grip.
