Eleven soldiers died and around 50 civilians were missing after a suspected jihadist attack in Burkina Faso’s north, the government said late Tuesday, IgbereTV reports
Violence has raged in the landlocked west African country after Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba seized power in a January coup, ousting Burkina’s elected leader and promising to rein in jihadists.
As in neighbouring countries, insurgents affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have stoked the unrest, even after Damiba earlier this month sacked his defence minister and assumed the role himself.
“A convoy carrying supplies to Djibo town was the target of a cowardly and barbaric attack,” government spokesman Lionel Bilgo said.
“The provisional toll is that 11 bodies of soldiers have been found… About 50 civilians are missing and searches are ongoing.”
A security source told AFP the toll could be as high as 60 dead
