Latest Islamist Attack in Central Burkina Faso Results in at Least 100 Deaths

Over the weekend, jihadis associated with al-Qaida attacked a community in central Burkina Faso, killing at least 100 civilians and troops.

Regional experts have characterized the attack as one of the worst this year in the conflict-torn country of West Africa, based on the video evidence that is now available.

Wassim Nasr, a Sahel specialist and senior research fellow at the Soufan Center security think tank, said that on Saturday, fighters with the al-Qaida-linked JNIM group invaded the area and opened fire on the villagers in the Barsalogho commune, which is 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the capital city. The villagers were assisting security forces in digging trenches to protect security outposts and villages.

Al-Qaida took credit for the attack on Sunday, claiming in a statement that it had taken “total control over a militia position” in Barsalogho, Kaya, a strategically important town where security forces have used to repel jihadis who have attempted in the past to encircle Ouagadougou, the country’s capital.

According to Nasr, videos of the attack showed at least 100 dead. The Associated Press watched videos that seemed to be from the scene, showing dead stacked next to the trenches and shovels in the middle of gunfire, but they were unable to independently confirm the number.