(Ouagadougou) At least 40 civilians were killed in a massive jihadist attack against a military base on Sunday in Djibo, in northern Burkina Faso, undermined since 2015 by this type of violence, the UN announced on Tuesday.
This is the first toll of civilian victims of this assault announced earlier Tuesday to AFP by Burkinabe security sources, who added that dozens of them were then killed by the army.
“A few” soldiers were also killed, they indicated without giving the number, and without mentioning civilian victims.
Djibo, close to the so-called three border zone between Niger, Burkina and Mali where jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State operate, has been besieged by the latter for more than a year. Several convoys seeking to resupply it were attacked.
“A large number of fighters” from the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM) “attacked a military base, homes and camps for internally displaced people in the town of Djibo, in the Sahel region, killing at least 40 civilians and injuring more than 42,” said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in a statement, saying it was “appalled”.
“Those responsible will be held accountable after rigorous, impartial and independent investigations by the authorities,” he added, stressing that “deliberately targeting civilians or individuals who do not take direct part in hostilities constitutes a war crime.” “.
Earlier Tuesday, a security source told AFP that “the Djibo military detachment” had been “the target of a large-scale jihadist attack perpetrated by armed terrorist groups”, specifying that “a few” soldiers had ” paid the supreme sacrifice to hold Djibo.”
She added that a response from the army had made it possible to inflict “heavy losses on the enemy”.
According to another security source, “the attack began around 3 p.m. (local time) and was carried out by several hundred armed men who tried in vain to enter the (military) base. They managed to make breaches against armored vehicles, but were struck by army aircraft.
“The attackers, who came massively on board motorcycles and (vehicles) vans, also carried out several shots with heavy weapons,” some of which targeted “air support,” continued the same source.
She further claimed that the attack was carried out by “several waves of armed groups” for “more than three hours”.
On Monday, “the hunt carried out against the (jihadist) survivors also made it possible to neutralize several dozen other terrorists,” this security source also confirmed.
Thousands of attackers
According to the Burkina Faso Information Agency (AIB, official) “more than 400 terrorists (were) decimated during the counter-offensive of the Burkinabè Armed Forces against nearly 3,000 criminals who tried to seize the city of Djibo”.
This “horde of terrorists” had “made it their mission to sow death and desolation in Djibo, before taking control of the city”, according to the AIB.
The Sahel region, in which Djibo is located, is the most affected by the jihadist attacks which are bloodying Burkina Faso.
This country has been led since 2022 by soldiers who took power by force.
Captain Ibrahim Traoré, author of the second coup d’état in eight months in September 2022, has made the fight against jihadist groups a priority, around 40% of whose territory escapes the control of the army.
Since 2015, Burkina has been caught in a spiral of violence perpetrated by jihadist groups, which were already hitting neighboring Mali and Niger.
They have caused more than 17,000 civilian and military deaths over the past eight years, including more than 6,000 since the start of 2023, according to the NGO Acled which lists the victims of conflicts around the world.
This violence has also led to the displacement of more than two million people within the country, according to the National Council for Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation (Conasur).