APA-Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) The landlocked West African nation has been battling a deadly jihadist insurgency for almost a decade.
The Burkinabe government is betting nearly three billion FCFA to capture and/or neutralize wanted jihadist leaders, according to a list made public Thursday evening by the ministry in charge of security.
It is offering between 100 and 180 million CFA francs per head for 20 wanted jihadists.
These “individuals are actively sought for participation or complicity in the planning or carrying out of terrorist acts,” the government explained.
The Ministry of Security has therefore promised between 100 and 180 million CFA francs to anyone providing “information likely to lead to the arrest or apprehension of one of these individuals” whose images have been published.
The government has on several occasions released photos of alleged terrorists or their accomplices. But this is the first time it has put a price on the heads of jihadist militants.
Among the jihadists actively sought are influential members of the Sahelian branch of the Islamic State Group, such as Nigerien Moussa Moumouni. The Burkinabe authorities are offering up to 150 million francs for any information leading to his capture or neutralization.
For the past eight years, Burkina Faso has been plagued by armed jihadist groups responsible for atrocities against the population. This armed insurgency is at the root of the country’s institutional instability. In 2022, two coups d’état took place within a period of eight months, both provoked by the deteriorating security situation.
DS/ac/fss/abj/APA