Two separate attacks in Burkina Faso’s troubled north left at least 29 people dead and dozens injured on Sunday, reported Reuters.
In an official statement, government spokesman Remis Fulgance Dandjinou said one vehicle transporting people and goods rode over an improvised explosive device (IED) in the Barsalogho area, killing at least 15 passengers. A security source said most of the deceased were traders.
In another attack, around 50 kilometers (30 miles) away, 14 people were killed when food vans traveling in convoy were attacked, the spokesman added. Both attacks took place in the Sanmatenga province in the north of the country.
“This drama comes as important security efforts are underway in this region,” the government spokesperson said. “Military reinforcements have been deployed.”
He added that military reinforcements have been deployed and a thorough search is currently going on. According to some local sources, many of the dead were the drivers of the three-wheeler vans, which were carrying provisions for people displaced by fighting.
Burkina Faso, a former French colony that ranks among the world’s poorest countries, has been facing an Islamist militant revolt since 2015.
The jihadists have been continuously targeting the country’s military. Earlier this month, an attack on a military base in northern Burkina Faso killed 24 in an unprecedented blow to the army in its campaign against jihadists.
The rebellion, which took shape in neighboring Mali, began in the north but has since spread to the east. The capital Ouagadougou has been attacked three times, including a March 2018 assault on the military headquarters that left eight dead.
As per the United Nations report, an increase in violence, some fueled by ethnic and religious beliefs, has forced more than 237,000 people to flee their homes.
A summit of regional heads of state is scheduled to be held in Ouagadougou on Saturday to discuss the security situation.
