Terrorists attack in Burkina Faso, 41 killed [TKB World]

Militants killed 41 people in an attack in northern Burkina Faso last week, including a prominent leader of a non-governmental organization supporting the country’s military. Government spokesman Alkasoum Maiga declared two days of mourning after a gruesome ambush on a convoy in Loroum province.

The dead included Soumaila Ganame, also known as Ladji Yoro. Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said Ganam died for his country and he will certainly be a symbol of our steadfast commitment to fight the enemy.

The death of the leader of Burkina Faso’s most important voluntary organization has created a sense of panic, said Heni Nasaibia, a senior researcher at the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project. Violence is on the rise in Burkina Faso, once a peaceful West African nation, as attacks linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State have increased.

More than 50 lingams were killed in November and at least 160 civilians were massacred in the Sahel region in June in the biggest attacks on the country’s security forces in recent days. Nasaibiya said that even though Burkina Faso’s security forces are conducting more operations in the volatile Sahel region than their neighbors, it has become too much for the military.