At least 100 people killed in central Burkina Faso in latest jihadi attack

Abuja: At least 100 villagers and soldiers were killed in central Burkina Faso during a weekend attack on a village by al-Qaida-linked jihadis, according to videos of the violence analysed by a regional specialist, who’s described the assault as one of the deadliest this year in the conflict-battered West African nation.

Villagers in the Barsalogho commune which is 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the capital city were helping security forces dig up trenches to protect security outposts and villages on Saturday when fighters with the al-Qaida-linked JNIM group invaded the area and opened fire on them, said Wassim Nasr, a Sahel specialist and senior research fellow at the Soufan Centre security think tank.

Al-Qaida claimed responsibility for the attack on Sunday, saying in a statement that it gained “total control over a militia position” in Barsalogho in Kaya, a strategic town where security forces have used to fight off jihadis that have over the years tried to close in on the capital, Ouagadougou.

At least 100 bodies were counted in videos of the attack, Nasr said. The Associated Press could not independently verify the count but reviewed videos that appeared to be from the scene, showing bodies piled beside the trenches and shovels amid gunshots.

Burkina Faso’s security minister Mahamadou Sana said in a state television broadcast on Sunday that the government responded to the attack with support from the ground and air. Among those killed were soldiers and civilians, the minister said, without stating the exact number of casualties.

“We are not going to accept such barbarity on the territory,” Sana said. He said the government has directed medical and humanitarian assistance to all those affected and that authorities are committed to protecting lives.