Burkina Faso: at Least 50 Soldiers and VDP Volunteers Killed in Multiple Terrorist Attacks

At least 50 soldiers and volunteers for the Defense of the Fatherland (VDP) were killed in a series of complex attacks by the Jnim, an affiliate of Al-Qaeda, on Saturday, July 4. The attacks targeted several localities across the country: the north, northwest, and southwest. Several camps were pillaged, and weapons were taken by the jihadist fighters.

The attack began around 5 am on Saturday morning. The Jnim militants stormed the military camp of Di in the Sourou province in the northwest region and fought their way into the camp before retreating. During this raid, at least 23 soldiers and 11 VDP volunteers were killed, according to our source.

On the other hand, the Jnim claimed in a video that they had seen 22 bodies of Burkinabé military personnel and VDP members before their withdrawal from the city of Di. They also claimed responsibility for two other attacks in the southwest and central-west regions of the country at Dalan and Tiéré. At least 18 soldiers were killed during these assaults.

In a separate attack on Saturday, the Jnim militants attacked Thiou and Séguénéga in the north region. While there were no casualties, several civilian vehicles were set on fire according to eyewitness accounts.

As of now, there has been no response from either the military or the government of Burkina Faso to these different attacks.