80 Killed in Attack in Burkina Faso

Authorities in Burkina Faso announced on Thursday evening that the toll from the jihadist attack targeting a military convoy escorting civilians in the north of the country has risen to 80, comprising 65 civilians and 15 gendarmes. Minister of Information and government spokesman Hussein Tamboura stated in a report that "according to a tally updated at 18:50 this evening (local and global time), 65 civilians were killed in this terrorist attack." This announcement came shortly after a government source reported that the number of military casualties increased to 15 after a gendarme succumbed to his injuries. A previous tally indicated that 47 people had been killed, including 30 civilians, in this attack that occurred 25 km from Gourguin in the border triangle area between Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali. The military convoy was escorting civilians heading to Arbinda to protect them on their journey, and the government announced on Wednesday that "during the confrontation with the attackers, 58 terrorists were killed, and several others were injured." Burkina Faso, particularly its northern and eastern regions, has faced jihadist attacks since 2015, resulting in over 1,500 deaths and forcing nearly 1.5 million people to flee their homes. Since 2018, the frequency of attacks using explosive devices has increased, claiming the lives of more than 200 individuals, both civilians and military, according to statistics compiled by AFP.