APA-Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) Jihadist attacks have increased at the weekend, culminating in the killing of at least 83 people including civilian volunteers.
At least 13 Volunteers for the Defense of the Motherland (VDPs) were killed and five more killed around noon on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, near Belga, in the north-central region, during clashes with members of armed insurgents, according to local residents.
Security sources say the army auxiliaries were on patrol when they came across armed men.
Wendpouire Sawadogo, who is very familiar with insurgent activities in Burkina Faso, believes that the suspected jihadists used gas as a smokescreen to gain an advantage during the skirmish.
Another source suggests that these were “probably tear gas grenades previously seized in previous attacks against the gendarmerie or the police.”
Terrorist attacks have multiplied in northcentral Burkina Faso since last weekend.
Nearly a hundred people, including more than 70 soldiers, have been killed in several attacks in the Sahel region.
Since 2015, jihadist attacks have killed several thousand people and displaced nearly two million more in Burkina Faso.
DS/ac/as/APA