Ouagadougou – Suspected jihadists killed at least 10 workers during an attack on an illegal gold mine in northern Burkina Faso, a security source told AFP on Friday.
The Tondobi mine near the Niger border came under fire late on Thursday afternoon “by elements from armed terrorist groups”, the source said.
“At least ten dead,” all gold miners, the source added.
A local resident told AFP by telephone that the total number of dead was 14 after several people died later from their wounds.
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“Ten people were buried Thursday night and four others this Friday morning,” the man said, asking not to be named.
“Six people who had been reported missing have been found safe and well this morning,” he added.
More than 2 000 people have died and 1.7 million people been displaced in a jihadist insurgency that erupted in the impoverished Sahel nation in 2015, according to an AFP tally.
Islamist combatants affiliated to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State operate mainly n the north and east of Burkina, targeting civilians and troops.
A junta seized power in Ouagadougou on January 24 and has made tackling the insurgency a priority.
Despite a ban on unofficial gold mining, the authorities struggle to control the sites that provide work for an estimated 1.5 million people.
An accidental explosion at an illegal gold mine in the southwest of the country left more than 60 people dead last month.
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Legal mining produces about 70 tonnes of gold a year, making it Burkina’s biggest export, and generates 50 000 jobs, according to official figures.
The mining ministry says unauthorised mines produce 10 tonnes of gold a year.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Pexels
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