Suspected jihadists attack village in Burkina Faso, killing at least 12

Suspected jihadists have attacked a village in Burkina Faso, killing at least 12 civilians, including nine members of a volunteer force supporting the army, according to local and security sources on Tuesday.

The West African country, led by a military junta since a 2022 coup, has faced more than a decade of deadly violence carried out by jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

A series of attacks targeting the army and civilian volunteer fighters (VDP) took place over the weekend in several parts of the country, a security source said.

In one of the incidents, armed fighters stormed the village of Dourtenga in the country’s central-eastern region on Sunday, killing nine members of the volunteer force, including their leader, a local official told AFP. Three other civilians were also killed, including a woman.

“They caused significant damage in the village, looting several shops and setting others on fire,” a resident said, adding that the attack and subsequent gunfire lasted for more than an hour.

“Calm has returned, but since yesterday (Monday), many people have been fleeing the village for fear of another attack,” the resident added.

The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda-linked organisation, claimed responsibility last month for several attacks against the army and volunteer forces. According to conflict monitor ACLED, more than 130 people were killed within about 10 days.

Despite the rising number of attacks, the military government says it has regained control of nearly three-quarters of the country and helped more than one million displaced people return to their home regions.

However, regional experts say Burkina Faso has not managed to break the cycle of violence that has killed tens of thousands of civilians and soldiers since 2015—more than half of them in the past three years, according to ACLED.