By James Tasamba
KIGALI, Rwanda (AA): Several lives were lost in a suspected terrorist attack in a village in Burkina Faso bordering Togo, a local official said.
“We deplore the loss of lives,” Sami Beranger Pooda said in a statement late Monday confirming the deaths without specifying the exact toll.
However, it was reported that 25 people were killed and 10 injured near Bittou.
The bodies were taken to a morgue in Tenkodogo, capital of the central-east region.
He called on residents, particularly young people, to “mobilize decent burials for the victims.”
“The communal authorities hope to be able to count on the compassion and commitment of all people in the fight against the terrorists.”
Burkina Faso is battling an insurgency that spread from neighboring Mali over the past decade — linked to the al-Qaeda and Daesh/ISIS terrorist groups.
The West African country recorded 1,135 deaths attributed to terrorists in 2022, a 50% climb compared to 2021, according to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2023 released in March.
[An infographic titled “Terror attack inBurkina Faso” created in Ankara, Turkiye on August 08, 2023. At least 25 dead and 10 injured after unidentified gunmen opened fire nearBurkina Faso’s Bittou. Photojournalist :Yasin Demirci/AA]
