Five Killed In Jihadist Attack On Burkina Faso

Five people, including two soldiers, were killed on Thursday in an attack by suspected jihadists in eastern Burkina Faso, AFP said it learned on Friday from security and local sources.

In the province of Tapoa, the community of Partiaga was invaded by over a hundred armed men (east).

Sadly, three civilians and two military men were among the five who died "said a security source.

The same source claims that soldiers and volunteers working for the homeland's protection "more than fifteen terrorists were neutralized" (VDP, civilian auxiliaries of the army).

There were "five dead during the attack" according to a Partiaga resident. 

The local, who asked to remain anonymous, claimed that the terrorists burned down homes and attics while fleeing from the army's response.

In a statement read to the local press on Thursday, members of civil society, other socio-professional organizations, and religious groups in the province of Tapoa gathered in Diapaga. 

They urged the government to "act for loosening the grip of armed terrorist groups" on the province's municipalities to "avoid the worst"

"For us, the past three weeks have not been at all simple. We have not yet been able to identify the perpetrators of more than 50 deaths. 

"However, they continue to instil fear in us", Kondjoa Pierre Yonli, their spokesperson, complained.

He claims that the province's two towns of Diapaga and Kantchari are the only ones where the administration is active.

"All the other municipalities are under the influence of terrorists who dictate their laws to the poor populations forced to submit to the will of the new strong men of the moment", he indicated.

In recent weeks, there have been an increasing number of deadly raids in Burkina. According to an AFP count, 60 individuals died last week and 50 the week before.

Burkina Faso, the location of two military takeovers in 2022, has been caught in a spiral of extremist violence since 2015 that first occurred in Mali and Niger a few years earlier and has since gone beyond their boundaries.

According to NGOs, the violence resulted in about 10,000 deaths, including military and civilians, and almost two million displacements.