Jihadist Attack Leaves 51 Dead in Burkina Faso

At least 51 soldiers were killed in the latest ambush in northern Burkina Faso's Sahel Region, with more bodies of soldiers found as the search operations continue.

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An ambush targeted a military unit between Deou and Oursi in Oudalan Province last Friday, according to the army's initial reports, which gave preliminary estimates of casualties at eight deaths, three injuries and several missing among the soldiers.

By the end of Monday, 43 more bodies had been found, bringing the provisional death toll to 51 soldiers, said the army in a new update.

The operations continue with an intensification of aerial actions, with a hundred terrorists neutralized and their equipment destroyed, said the new statement, noting that this figure is added to the 60 terrorists neutralized since the beginning of the riposte.

The tweet reads, "Captain Ibrahim Traore, the head of the Burkina Faso's military junta, displayed his 'unwavering determination' to fight the jihadists despite the ambush that killed at least 51 soldiers the day before in the northern zone."

Since April 2015, Burkina Faso has suffered frequent attacks perpetrated by groups linked to both Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. These facts have occurred preferably in the north of the country.

This African nation lived two coup d'état in 2022: one on January 24, lead by Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, and another on Sep. 30 lead by Captain Ibrahim Traore.

These occurred in the midst of the growing discontent of the population due to jihadist attacks, which have forced the displacement of about 1.9 million people.