Ouagadougou – At least 10 civilians were killed in two attacks by suspected jihadists in the Burkina Faso town of Dassa, security and local sources told AFP on Friday.
Late on Thursday, two groups of armed men attacked two areas in Dassa, a commune in west-central Burkina Faso around 140 kilometres (90 miles) west of the capital Ouagadougou, killing 12 civilians, a resident told AFP.
A security source confirmed the two attacks, saying there was “a provisional toll of around 10 victims”.
Burkina Faso is one of the poorest and most volatile countries in Africa.
Thousands of troops, police and civilians have been killed and around two million people have fled their homes since jihadists launched an insurgency from neighbouring Mali in 2015.
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More than a third of the country lies beyond the control of the government, and frustration within the army at the mounting toll triggered two coups last year.
Burkinabe’s ruling junta confirmed Monday that it had told France to withdraw within a month its contingent of some 400 troops currently stationed in the country to assist against the insurgents.
France said Thursday that it was recalling its ambassador from Burkina Faso, a day after agreeing to the demand to pull its troops from the former French colony in Africa’s Sahel region.
It marked the latest scaling down of France’s military presence in Africa after the junta in neighbouring Mali also ordered French troops leave, prompting President Emmanuel Macron to sharply curtail its anti-jihadist operations in the region.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Twitter/@macronniefafi
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