At least 40 terrorists and 34 soldiers killed in clashes in Burkina Faso

June 28 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Burkina Faso Army reported on Tuesday the death of 40 suspected terrorists and 34 government force combatants, including military and volunteers, in an ambush of a convoy in the town of Namsiguia, in the province of Bam, which It is located in the north central region of the country.

These are 31 soldiers and three members of the so-called Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), who were escorting a refueling convoy.

“The combats, particularly violent, have caused significant losses despite the energetic response of the units,” reads a statement, in which the Army indicates that more than twenty wounded have been transferred to hospitals.

The Chief of General Staff of the Burkinabe Armed Forces “hailed the commitment of these brave fighters in the work of reconquering the national territory and the sacrifices made for the homeland”, after conveying his condolences for the deceased and wishing for a speedy recovery to the wounded.

Burkina Faso, ruled by a military junta since the January 2022 coup against then-president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, has experienced increased insecurity since 2015. The junta is now headed by Ibrahim Traoré, who starred in September a coup that was considered a “palace coup” against the hitherto leader, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.

The continuous attacks in the country, carried out by both the Al Qaeda affiliate and the Islamic State affiliate in the region, have also contributed to an increase in inter-communal violence and have caused self-defense groups to flourish, to which the Burkinabe government has added to ‘volunteers’. The deterioration of security has caused a wave of internally displaced persons and refugees to other countries in the region.