Eleven Soldiers Dead In Attack On Army Base In Burkina Faso

Authorities have reported an attack on a military base in eastern Burkina Faso that claimed the lives of seven soldiers, leaving over 12 others injured.

According to a statement by the army, a counter-attack successfully neutralized 15 attackers trying to flee after the attack in Madjoari in Kompienga province on Thursday, while the injured soldiers were rushed to nearby hospitals.

Burkina Faso has recently become the latest epicentre of a shifting conflict in the Sahel, with incessant reprisal attacks by armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS), causing thousands of deaths and displacement of nearly 2 million people.

The West African country is also suffering politically inspired conflicts that have further triggered more violence and deaths in the country. In January, mutinous soldiers removed the democratically elected president promising to stem the violence, but since then attacks have only increased.

According to an internal security report for aid workers seen by The Associated Press news agency, nearly 60 people, including civilians and security forces, were killed in violence targeting villages in four regions across the country last week.

In a report on the rising rate of displacement in Burkina Faso, the UN shared that more than 19,000 Burkinabe fled to Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger and Benin, in abid to flee vicious attacks by armed groups in the country.

The UNHCR also shared that within the period of the coup in Burkina Faso, local authorities reported an average of 100 people crossing the border daily. 

Currently, more than 34,000 are now in exile across the region. Many Ivorian families are hosting up to 30 Burkinabe refugees in small houses. Overcrowding is exacerbating deteriorating sanitary conditions, resulting in numerous cases of malaria, respiratory infections and malnutrition. 

Patsy Nwogu

Reporting on data-driven featured stories and investigations.

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