2024 Barsalogho battle
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| 2024 Barsalogho battle | |
|---|---|
| Part of Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso | |
 | |
| Location | Barsalogho Department |
| Date | 24 August 2024 |
| Target | Burkina Faso Armed Forces Burkinabè civilians |
Attack type | Gunfire |
| Deaths | 200+ |
| Injured | 300+[1] |
| Perpetrator | Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin |
An attack on 24 August 2024 by Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda-linked jihadist organization, left hundreds of soldiers and citizens dead in the Barsalogho Department of Burkina Faso. The attack was part of an ongoing jihadist insurgency in that country and the Sahel.[2][3]
Background
[edit]Since August 2015, a war and civil conflict between the Government of Burkina Faso and Islamist rebels has killed at least 10,000 civilians and combatants and displaced more than 2 million people. Almost half of Burkina Faso territory is in the hands of al-Qaeda linked militants.[2] The war is part of the wider insurgency in the Sahel.[4][5][6]
In August 2024, jihadists began to close in on the Barsalogho Department city of Kaya, which represented the last defensive line between the militants and Burkina Faso's capital of Ouagadougou. In anticipation of an attack, the Burkina Faso Armed Forces recruited nearby residents to build defensive trenches about 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the north of Kaya to defend the outpost.[2]
Incident
[edit]On 24 August 2024, from 9:00 to 16:00,[1] a group of JNIM militants opened fire on soldiers and townspeople who were digging the trenches. Several dozen people were killed, while many wounded people were taken to a hospital in Kaya. Most of the victims were young residents of the town who helped soldiers dig trenches.[7] Local officials and members of the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland, a civilian armed group that supports the Burkinabe military, were also among the casualties.[1][8] Many Burkina Faso soldiers were unaccounted for following the attack. The attackers captured several weapons and an ambulance used by the Burkina Faso military.[2] On 27 August, sources told Reuters that the attack likely killed at least 400 or 500 people.[3] Videos showed many military vehicles were on fire and that a military base was damaged.[9] Burkinabe soldiers, auxiliaries, and air support responded to the attack, reportedly killing several militants and diverting a deadlier attack.[8][7]
After the attack, JNIM released several videos showing several violent images of those killed.[2] The group's leader, Iyad Ag Ghaly, claimed that it took control of a militia headquarters in Barsalogho.[10] Al Jazeera reported that the dead were killed in the trenches they were digging, which it stated have "turned into mass graves". It further reported that the orders for civilians to dig military trenches appeared to be an act of desperation in the midst of advances of jihadi groups that had taken half of Burkina Faso's territory and were steadily moving towards Ouagadougou.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Burkina Faso: l'hôpital de Kaya confronté à l'urgence après le massacre de samedi". RFI (in French). 25 August 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "Up to 200 people killed in attack in central Burkina Faso". Al Jazeera. 25 August 2024. Archived from the original on 26 August 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ a b Sofia Christensen (27 August 2024). "Suspected jihadists kill hundreds in Burkina Faso attack". Reuters.
- ^ "Burkina Faso: une gendarmerie attaquée près de la frontière malienne". RFI (in French). 9 October 2015. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- ^ "Le Burkina Faso va renforcer la sécurité de ses postes de police frontaliers". RFI (in French). 27 October 2016. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- ^ "Decade of Sahel conflict leaves 2.5 million people displaced". UNHCR. 14 January 2022. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ a b "'Terrorists' kill dozens in Burkina Faso". Le Monde. 26 August 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Dozens Killed In Latest Militants' Attack In Burkina Faso". Sahara Reporters. Archived from the original on 26 August 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
- ^ Caleb Weiss. "AL QAEDA KILLS HUNDREDS IN BURKINA FASO ATTACK". Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
- ^ "At least 100 civilians killed in one of the deadliest attacks in Burkina Faso's history". Le Monde. 27 August 2024. Archived from the original on 27 August 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024.