By Biran Gaye
Terrorists on Saturday killed at least 100 villagers in the community of Barsalogho, Burkina Faso, becoming the latest target of several terrorist attacks on civilians amid growing insecurity and instability in the Sahel country.
The militant groups killed several people in the villages of Nagraogo and Alamou, an official report indicates as quoted by the media. According to news reports,p it was the latest terror attack by the Al Qaeda-linked militant group known as Jama’atNusrat al-Islam walMuslimin (JNIM) in the north of the West African country which has captured large areas of territory in recent years.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) reacted to the massacre, condemning “unreservedly (these) barbaric attacks perpetrated by armed terrorist groups”, which “resulted in the death of dozens of innocent civilians and injured many others.”
In a press release published on Thursday, August 29, 2024, it expresses its “sincere condolences” to the government and the people of Burkina Faso and solidarity in “their incessant battles against the terrorists”. The bloc also reiterated its commitment to deepen their cooperation in intelligence sharing.
The community also states that it remains “determined to fight alongside the States of the sub-region to eradicate terrorism, in particular through the ongoing activation of the ECOWAS Counter-Terrorism Force.”
It calls on all States in the sub-region to intensify their cooperation in matters of intelligence sharing, border security and implementation of the ECOWAS counter-terrorism strategy.
UN Secretary-General AntónioGuterres has strongly condemned the killing of almost 200 people in the Burkinabe town of Barsalogho during the weekend, which left a further 140 injured.
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said at the regular noon briefing on Tuesday in New York that the UN chief extends his condolences to the families of the victims and people of Burkina Faso.
“The Secretary-General expresses his solidarity with the transition authorities in their fight against terrorism and calls on them to ensure that those responsible for these despicable acts are held to account,” he added.
Mr. Dujarric also reported that UN humanitarians working in the area of the “terrible attack” described conditions overall as “pretty horrific”.
“According to local officials, at least 90,000 displaced people were living in Barsalogho as of last year. These families had sought refuge there from insecurity in surrounding areas, and their arrival placed an additional strain on local services and supplies”, he said.
The entire province where Barsalogho is located is facing acute hunger, Mr. Dujarric reported, adding that insecurity in surrounding areas has also made it much more difficult to provide aid in Barsalogho.
“Since 2022, access to the area for aid agencies has mostly been limited to helicopter transport”, the UN Spokesperson said.
Rampant instability
JNIM is just one of the armed groups which have moved into Burkina Faso from neighbouring Mali, contributing to a major security crisis which has resulted in two military coups during 2022.
Scores of the wounded were evacuated to healthcare facilities in the nearby city of Kaya.
The attack on Saturday by suspected jihadists came as residents of Barsalogho were reportedly digging trenches around the town to protect it from assault.
Last month, a dozen of Burkinabe soldiers had been killed in a terrorist ambush in the country, dealing a hefty blow to the military junta’s efforts toward addressing the insecurity that gripped a large chunk of the country. Since the establishment of the Confederation of Sahel States by Burkina Faso and its neighbours, Mali and Niger, there has been no security improvement in the face of increased terrorist attacks in the Sahel.
