Thirty-five killed in IED blast in Burkina Faso

• An IED blast in Burkina Faso kills at least 35 civilians and injures 37 others.
• Convoy was serving towns in the unrest-plagued north on a road between Bourzanga and Djibo.
• The seven-year-old insurgency that has killed over 2,000 people is gripping the landlocked African nation.

In the jihadist-affected north of Burkina Faso, an IED blast on Monday targeted a convoy carrying supplies, killing at least 35 civilians and injuring 37 others, according to the governor of the Sahel region.

The seven-year-old insurgency that has killed over 2,000 people and driven almost 1.9 million people from their homes is gripping the landlocked African nation.

According to a statement by Sahel area governor Rodolphe Sorgo, the event happened on Monday when the military-led convoy was serving towns in the unrest-plagued north on a road between Bourzanga and Djibo.

“One of the vehicles carrying civilians hit an improvised explosive device. The provisional toll is 35 dead and 37 injured, all civilians,” it said.

The statement added that the convoy had left the north for Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, and that “the escorts quickly secured the perimeter and took measures to help the victims,”

The supply convoy was “composed of citizens, drivers, and traders,” a security source told AFP.

“Several dozen vehicles, including trucks and public transport buses,” were hit, according to a Djibo resident.

“The victims are mainly traders who were going to buy supplies in Ouagadougou and students who were returning to the capital for the next school year,” the resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told AFP.

Similar attacks by jihadist groups have lately been carried out on major thoroughfares leading to Dori and Djibo, the two largest cities in the north.

15 soldiers lost their lives in the same region at the beginning of August when two IEDs exploded.

Also Read

Suspected jihadists kill at least 50 in Burkina Faso

At least 50 civilians were killed in an attack by suspected jihadists....