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Sources: Attacks on Burkina army bases and villages kill dozens

Sources said that an attack on a Burkina Faso military base killed several soldiers while another assault in the southern part of the country left dozens dead civilians. This underscored the spiraling insecurity within the junta led country.

Two security sources confirmed that the army base in Djibo was attacked on Sunday morning. A police station and a market were also targeted.

Sources who spoke anonymously for fear of reprisals by the government said that soldiers, pro-government militiamen, and civilians had been killed, although a complete toll wasn't available until Monday.

Many of our men, both soldiers and (militia fighters) have fallen. Weapons were also taken. "There were also many deaths on the population side," said one source. According to an army report from October 2022, the Djibo Base has been attacked multiple times.

The latest attack was not immediately claimed by anyone. The area is close to where Al Qaeda affiliate JNIM operate.

Ibrahim Traore, who took power through a coup in the year 2022, promised to reverse the tide of a jihadist movement that had spread throughout the region ever since it began in Mali thirteen years ago.

In many parts of the country, militant attacks continue.

According to Segda Bila of the committee responsible for burying the deceased, at least 58 people were killed in three villages of Koulpelogo province, located near the border of Togo.

Burkina Faso’s military government is under fire from rights groups for the measures taken to protect national security. Human Rights Watch stated on Monday that the army "participated" in the March massacre of ethnic Fulani civilians by pro-government militias in Boucle du Mouhoun, western Boucle du Mouhoun. In March, a government spokesperson dismissed online images purporting that those killings were a "disinformation" campaign of "false info aimed at undermining the social cohesion."

Monday, the government did not respond immediately to a comment request. Reporting by Burkina Faso Newsroom; Writing and editing by Sharon Singleton

(source: Reuters)