Dozens Of Civilians Executed In Burkina Faso In Suspected Jihadist Attack
Jihadists are believed to have killed around 50 civilians attempting to flee from them in Burkina Faso in the latest attack in the deprived Sahel nation, the Eastern region's governor has said on Thursday.
Colonel Hubert Tameogo said in a statement that the civilians from Madjoari had been killed when attempting to flee from a jihadist blockade, he added that the current death toll was provisional.
Survivors told AFP that the group had been trying to get away from the jihadists as food supplies had run out.
One survivor said: "The people were intercepted and executed by the terrorists. All the dead were men."
The governor of the region stated that "security operations are underway to restore peace".
Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countries in the world, has been plagued with jihadist attacks since 2015 that have been linked to the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda.
Over 2,000 people have been killed and a further 1.8 million displaced.
Last Sunday 11 people were killed in two villages in northern Burkina by suspected jihadists.
The army also said that last Thursday, 11 soldiers and 15 gunmen died during another attack in the east.
The previous president Roch Marc Christian Kabore was ousted by troops in January, and Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba took control, saying his main priority was fixing the security crisis.
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