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Africa North

Up to 200 people killed in attack in central Burkina Faso

2024-08-26

[AlJazeera] An gang linked to al-Qaeda, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Moslemin (JNIM), has grabbed credit for what it says was an attack that killed up to 200 people and injured at least 140 in central Burkina Faso

...The country in west Africa that they put where Upper Volta used to be. Its capital is Oogadooga, or something like that. Its president used to be Blaise Compaoré, who took office in 1987 and was chased out in 2014. Now it's the usual army officer type guy, Captain Ibrahim Traore, running things, who's just doing a bang-up job unless he's already been deposed...
.The attack took place on Saturday in the region of Barsalogho, about 40km (25 miles) north of the strategic town of Kaya, which analysts said is home to the last standing force protecting the capital, Ouagadougou.

Fighters opened fire on teams of people digging trenches designed to protect security outposts. Several soldiers were missing after the attack, and the attackers took weapons and a military ambulance.

Reporting from Dakar, Senegal
... a nation of about 14 million on the west coast of Africa bordering Mauretania to the north, Mali to the east, and a pair of Guineas to the south, one of them Bissau. It is 90 percent Mohammedan and has more than 80 political parties. Its primary purpose seems to be absorbing refugees...
, Al Jazeera's Nicholas Haque said JNIM posted gruesome videos of the aftermath of the attack.

''We see men, women and kiddies laying inside the trenches they were digging themselves. Effectively, they have turned into mass graves,'' he said, adding that the hospital in the area has called doctors, nurses and other medical staff from Kaya to treat those who have been injured in the attack.

Haque noted that the Burkina Faso army knew on Friday that an attack was going to happen and called on the population to dig trenches.

''That shows the desperation of Burkina Faso's forces, who have lost control of half of their territory to gangs linked to al-Qaeda,'' he added.

Burkina Faso has severed its ties with Western countries such as La Belle France that had been involved in helping the country's security forces tackle gangs.

Haque said that recently the government had been calling on the help of Russian mercenary fighters to support it strategically but also to help stem the attacks.

''Despite that help, it seems that those attacks are getting closer and closer to the capital,'' Haque said. He noted that the country's military leaders, who came to power in a coup in 2022, have also had to face down several attempted coups due to discontent with the way it has struggled with the fight against gangs.

Posted by:Fred

#2 Let me see...exactly how much sleep did I lose over this last night???

Posted by: Harry Platypus2574 2024-08-26 14:44

#1 So they have room for the 200 migrants rescued from the Med?

Posted by: Skidmark 2024-08-26 09:54

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