Uncertainty as gunmen raid Burkina’s Seytenga town

By Agence de Presse Africaine Last updated Jun 14, 2022

APA- Ouagadougou What’ s going on in Seytenga, northeastern Burkina Faso? For over 24 hours, reports have been emerging of the death of several dozen civilians after a raid on the town locate near the border with Niger. Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been desperately trying to contain a jihadist insurgency in its northern part, near the border with Mali and Niger.

APA – Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) What’s going on in Seytenga, northeastern Burkina Faso?

For over 24 hours, reports have been emerging of the death of several dozen civilians after a raid on the town locate near the border with Niger.

The attack took place on the night of Saturday, June 11 going into Sunday June 12 this year.

After an initial attack that killed eleven gendarmes in the town in Seno province, 276 km northeast of Ouagadougou, the attackers reportedly returned to target civilians.

The government confirmed that “armed individuals invaded the town of Seytenga to attack the population”.

According to the authorities, this situation caused the population of the locality to flee to the commune of Dori, 47 kilometers away.

However, due to the “complexity of the situation,” the government pointed out that “at this time, an official assessment cannot be made.”

Inviting Burkinabès to distance themselves from hasty assessments and figures disseminated without prior verification, the authorities assure them that “intervention units have been deployed in the area to assess the situation and carry out security operations.”

Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been desperately trying to contain a jihadist insurgency in its northern part, near the border with Mali and Niger.

In an attempt to change this, Lieutenant Colonel-Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba at the head of the MPSR (Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration) overthrew Roch Marc Christian Kabore on January 24, 2022.

In his desire to restore security, the transitional president has shown openness to dialogue with local jihadists.

This is a new direction in the fight against jihadist groups, which remains ineffective for the moment.

In five days, towns in the north have recorded a total of six attacks against the defense and security forces and civilians, resulting in at least 27 deaths.

AC/cgd/fss/as/APA