Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Ouagadougou (Agenzia Fides) - At least three gendarmes were killed last Sunday and several are missing.
The attack took place yesterday, Sunday, September 12, at around 1 p.m. near Sakoani, a town along the road connecting Matiakoali and Kantchari, near the border with Niger, during a logistical support mission for the Boungou mining company.
The terrorists used home-made bombs to block the convoy and opened fire on military vehicles. The army said searches are underway to find the missing soldiers. This incident is only the latest in a series of terrorist attacks in various areas of Burkina Faso that have forced part of the population to flee. According to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), 13,000 people have fled every week since April because of the ongoing violence. The latest figures from the government's CONASUR (Conseil National de Secours d'Urgence et de Réhabilitation) since April indicate that 275,000 people have been displaced. More than 1.4 million people are currently internally displaced in Burkina Faso. More than 480 civilians were killed in attacks in the country between May and August. An estimated 4.8 million people are affected by food insecurity, 2.9 million even by acute food insecurity. Of the $607 million needed to meet humanitarian needs in 2021, only 24 percent has so far been funded. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 13/9/2021)
ASIA/LEBANON - Is there an attempt to destabilize a country shaken by the economic crisis and the conflict in the Middle East?
AFRICA/DR CONGO - At least 32 people die in a series of attacks