Ouagadougou – Two soldiers and six civilians were killed in weekend attacks in northern and eastern Burkina Faso, security sources and residents said on Monday.
A highway bomb claimed the lives of two members of the security forces on Saturday in Bouroum in northern Burkina, a security source said, adding that five were wounded.
In a separate attack, gunmen attacked a bus in a village called Kokode near the border with Ghana, another security source said.
“Six civilians were killed by the attackers, who also robbed the bus passengers,” the source said.
The toll was confirmed by a member of a regional traders’ association, who said that an “important business figure” was among the dead.
ALSO READ | Burkina Faso army says air-land sweep kills 39 ‘terrorists’, one soldier
A poor landlocked country in the heart of the Sahel, Burkina Faso is battling a seven-year jihadist insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives and driven around two million people from their homes.
Frustration at the mounting military toll has sparked two coups this year by disgruntled officers, most recently on September 30.
The new strongman, Captain Ibrahim Traore, has vowed to recover territory seized by the insurgents and launched a recruitment drive to bolster a volunteer militia.
According to the army, 39 “terrorists” were killed during an anti-jihadist operation in the northwest between December 1 and 10.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Twitter /@Crisis7_
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