Burkina Faso’s government spokesman, Lionel Bilgo, on Monday informed at least 55 civilians lost their lives in an attack by suspected Islamist militants in the northern part of the West African country, reported Africa News.
During a press conference, Bilgo said the army has so far found 55 bodies after the village of Seytenga was attacked overnight Saturday. He added that the death toll may rise.
“Relatives (of the victims) have returned to Seytenga and may have taken bodies away,” the spokesman told reporters.
While Burkina Faso’s government has put the official toll at 55, others put the figure far higher, with some saying as many as 100 had died.
The European Union (EU) said the attack may have left more than 100 civilian victims. It condemned the incident, calling for further investigation of the circumstances of the killing.
“The method used by the terrorist group that carried out the attack, namely the systematic execution of anyone they encountered in the village, is appalling”, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement.
The United Nations (UN) also condemned the attack, which it said had claimed many victims, and called on Burkina Faso’s authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Attacks linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State groups are increasing in Burkina Faso, particularly in the north. Last year in July, jihadists killed at least 160 people in an attack in Solhan town.
Seytenga was the site of bloody fighting between rebels and government forces last week. Eleven police officials lost their lives on Thursday, prompting a military operation that the army said led to the deaths of around 40 jihadists.
The attack is one of the bloodiest since January’s military coup when Burkina’s Faso’s military ousted the country’s elected president, Roch Marc Christian Kabore. Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who became the country’s new strongman post-coup, immediately vowed to make security his key priority.
