Several dozen people, including civilians, have been killed in Burkina Faso by "terrorists", local and security sources told AFP on Sunday, August 25.
Jihadist rebels affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have waged a grinding insurgency since 2015 in Burkina Faso that has killed thousands and displaced two million people.
The latest attack was carried out by armed men in the village of Barsalogho in north-central Burkina Faso on Saturday, they said.
"Yesterday, around 9:00 am, terrorist groups attacked the village, killing numerous civilians and security personnel", a local resident told AFP by telephone.
A security source who asked not to be named said there were "several dozen dead" including civilians and security forces, as well as "numerous wounded", most of whom were taken to a hospital in the regional capital of Kaya, some 45 kilometers (28 miles) away. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
According to another local resident, the victims were mainly "young civilians, who came out in large numbers to help the soldiers dig trenches around the town, to protect themselves from possible attacks by armed terrorist groups".
A second security source said that "the response of the soldiers" and auxiliary troops "made it possible to neutralize several terrorists and avoid a greater tragedy."
According to a hospital source in Kaya, more than 100 injured people were taken to the city's largest medical center.
The chief of the center called on all personnel to come in to deal with the "emergency linked to a massive influx of patients since the morning of (Saturday) August 24", according to an internal note seen by AFP.
After taking power in a putsch in September 2022, Burkina's coup leaders expelled troops and diplomats from former colonial ruler France and have turned to Russia for military assistance.