Burkina Faso began a three-day national mourning period Thursday in the wake of a jihadist attack that killed several gendarmes and civilians in the north, a new massacre that raises questions about the ability of security forces to counter jihadist violence.
Several televisions and radios have changed their program schedules, mostly broadcasting songs in tribute and support of the defense and security forces. The death toll of the attack has been revised upwards. Eighty persons were killed instead of forty-seven announced earlier.
According to reports, the latest attack by jihadist groups resulted in the deaths of 65 civilians, 15 gendarmes, and six members of the Burkinabe armed forces. These armed groups are increasingly attacking defense force convoys or mixed convoys, especially in the Sahel region. This is part of a strategy by these groups to control this part of Burkina Faso, according to experts.
A poor West African country, Burkina Faso has been plagued since 2015 by regular and deadly jihadist attacks, particularly in the northern and eastern regions, like its neighbors Mali and Niger.
Often coupled with ambushes, these attacks have killed more than 1,500 people and forced more than 1.3 million to flee their homes.