Burkina Faso: 37 dead in convoy ambush

By Francesca Merlo

The attack in eastern Burkina Faso is being described as the deadliest in recent years.

The attacked convoy, of five buses and military escort, belonged to the Canadian gold miner, Semafo.

With 37 people confirmed dead, many others are still feared missing. The death toll is expected to rise.

Following armed attacks near two of its mines last year, the company had already tightened its security.

Semafo released a statement after Wednesday’s attack, saying the convoy was travelling to their Boungou mine, in the region of Est.

The local governor’s office later stated that “unidentified armed men laid an ambush for a convoy transporting Semafo workers”.

The exact number of personnel is unclear and their nationalities are unknown.

Military in the West African nation have been struggling to contain the violence as it overruns parts of the counties.

Burkina Faso has suffered a homegrown insurgency in the past three years. Along with an increase in attacks by the so-called Islamic state and al-Qaeda, criminality from neighbouring Mali has thrown the landlocked nation of Burkina Faso under incessant violence.