The armed forces announced that they had killed twelve terrorists, including Tidiane Djbrilou Dicko, a jihadist leader. The operation to “neutralize” them took place on Thursday, May 26, in the commune of Tongomayel, in the Soum province, by air strikes, according to a source in the general staff of the armed forces.
According to several security sources, Tidiane Djibrilou Dicko is locally known as a very cruel man and is followed by many young people in Soum province. This cruelty was noticed after the terrorist attack on Silgadji, his own home village. The attack cost the lives of about 40 people in January 2020. Tidiane Djibrilou and his fighters surrounded the people at the village market. The men were executed and the women ordered to leave.
“He had a lot of influence on the youth, especially south of Djibo,” said a senior officer in the Burkinabe armed forces. A fighter for the Islamic State in the Great Sahara, he recently switched to the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims. According to our sources, he was behind several attacks in the Sahel, notably on the Bourzanga-Djibo axis.
He was neutralized, to use an expression of the armed forces, along with several other fighters. “This action was made possible by the work of the intelligence services over several months,” said a security source, who added that the group led by Tidiane Djibrilou Dicko was preparing to attack a supply convoy in the town of Djibo.