Burkina Faso gripped by terror: 22 civilians killed by jihadist insurgents

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Continuing a years-long reign of terror, suspected Islamic jihadist insurgents murdered 22 civilians in Burkina Faso on July 7, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. The government of Burkina Faso was overthrown during a military coup led by Capt. Ibrahim Traoré in September last year, following accusations that then-President Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba was ineffectual in dealing with Islamic terrorism gripping the West African country.

This month’s killings took place despite the authorities’ issuance of a mobilization order in April to give Burkina Faso what it needs to fight terrorism and create a “legal framework for all the actions to be taken” against the insurgents in recapturing 40 percent of the national territory from Islamist insurgents.

Sixteen of the July 7 victims were murdered in Namentenga province, ICC reports. They were volunteer auxiliaries supporting the army. “The attackers set fire to homes, motorcycles, and the local market,” ICC said in its report.

Two further civilians were killed in a nearby village and an additional four were murdered in a town called Fo in western Burkina Faso, ICC said.

“Since 2015, militant attacks linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS in Burkina Faso have been on the rise,” ICC said. “As of 2023, the country has not successfully curbed the spread of violence and still struggles with one of the bloodiest jihadist insurrections in the Sahel. The violence and unrest have created the worst humanitarian crisis in Burkina Faso’s history.”

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