Article author:
Reuters
OUAGADOUGOU — Armed assailants killed at least 22 civilians in northwestern Burkina Faso on Monday, local officials said, recent deadly attacks in areas hurt by militant activity ..
The attacker attacked a local editorial in Kosshi, about 55 kilometers from the border with Mali, between midnight Sunday and early Monday morning, said Governor Babo Pierre Basinga. Said in a statement.
"The provisional death toll from this terrorist attack killed 22 people, injured several, and suffered property damage," he said.
Armies have been deployed on the scene and measures have been taken to accommodate those who have fled to nearby cities, the statement added.
Burkina Faso has been fighting Islamic extremists operating in the northern region since 2015. Some are related to al-Qaeda and Islamic countries.
In West African countries, more than 1.85 million people have been evacuated due to combat. Mali-based militant activity has spread over the last decade, killing thousands of people alone throughout the Sahel.
Angry at the intensification of the attack, army officers vowed to defeat Burkina Faso's president in January and improve security, but the level of violence remains high.
Last month, armed men killed at least 100 civilians in another rural area of northern Burkina Faso. This is the most deadly attack the country has seen in at least a year. (Report by Thiam Ndiaga, Written by Sofia Christensen, Edited by David Gregorio)
