APA – Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) – For the first time, an aircraft belonging to a humanitarian organisation has been targeted by militants of armed insurgent groups.
An MI26T helicopter belonging to the World Food Program (WFP) came under fire in the north of the country on Thursday, August 10, 2023, reports the daily L’Observateur Paalga, confirming information obtained by APA from humanitarian sources.
According to the residents, the incident occurred near Pobéo-Mengao or Toulfé, when the aircraft, loaded with supplies, had left the city of Ouahigouya (northern region) to resupply the city of Djibo (Sahel region).
“The helicopter was targeted with a collective fire weapon, apparently a 12.7 (heavy machine gun). Four bullet holes were recorded in the fuselage, including one in the propeller, one in the cabin and two others in the fuel tank, which was leaking kerosene,” the dean of Burkina Faso’s private dailies indicated.
There were no casualties or injuries among the passengers or pilots, who were able to land the aircraft and its cargo in Djibo as planned, a humanitarian source added.
Its occupants were then airlifted to Ouagadougou on Thursday evening aboard another WFP aircraft.
The attack was confirmed by a WFP-Burkina source, who attributed it to fighters from armed terrorist groups.
“This incident could slow down or halt WFP’s airdrops of food aid to the country’s regions. This is the first incident targeting an NGO aircraft. The aim is to stop aerial food deliveries throughout the country,” our source explained.
During the month of June 2023, humanitarian services were able to deliver 104 tons of food and non-food items to hard-to-reach areas. The city of Djibo alone received a third of the deliveries, or 33.4 tons.
Several localities are under the control of jihadist groups, isolating their inhabitants and making it difficult for the authorities to deliver food by land.
In September 2022, a supply convoy escorted by the army was ambushed by insurgents belonging to the Groupe de soutien à l’Islam et aux musulmans, resulting in several military casualties. This incident led to the replacement of Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba by Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
Since then, food has been delivered to Djibo mainly by air. More than 3.4 million Burkinabé are food insecure and more than two million are displaced.
SD/ac/lb/as/APA