Burkina Faso: Dozens killed in IED convoy blast

By Vatican News staff reporter

At least 35 people were killed and 37 others injured on Monday when a vehicle in a convoy in northern Burkina Faso struck an improvised explosive device (IED), the country’s interim government said.

The convoy, carrying supplies from the capital, Ouagadougou, hit the IED between the towns of Djibo and Bourzanga, in an area where jihadist militants have attacked villages, military and police outposts since 2015.

The government disclosed that the escorts rapidly secured the perimeter and took measures to assist the victims, which according to media sources were composed of civilians.

Burkina Faso’s fight against insecurity

The landlocked West African country has battled a seven-year insurgency that has killed more than 2,000 people and has forced an estimated 1.9 million others to flee their homes.

The fighting has been mostly concentrated in the north and east of the country, fueled by extremist jihadist groups suspected to have ties with Al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State.

These militant groups have staged similar attacks on arterial roads leading to the main cities in the north of the country, including Dori and Djibo.

At the start of August, 15 soldiers were killed in the same area in a double IED explosion.

In June, in one of the bloodiest massacres in the country, 79 people were killed after an attack by terrorists on the village of Seytenga in northern Burkina Faso.

Combatting insurgency

This latest blast points to a security crisis in the Sahel region which has spread to other countries in the Sahel region, including Mali and Niger.

Burkina Faso’s ruling junta which seized power in January, has declared that it will put the fight against insurgency as a top priority. However, there are still reported escalating attacks in the tri-border area of the Sahel.

Authorities in the region continue to work together to strengthen their offensive operations against the armed groups.