Burkina Faso’s government says at least 11 soldiers have been killed and 50 civilians are missing after armed fighters attacked a 150-vehicle military-escorted convoy taking supplies to a northern town.
In a statement, the government said the assault took place in the commune of Gaskinde in Soum province, where armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and the ISIL- ISIS group have been escalating attacks and seizing territory since 2015.
Some 28 people, including 20 soldiers, were wounded, while dozens of trucks were destroyed.
In the northern Soum province, armed groups have blockaded several areas, so government convoys and airdrops have delivered essential goods to trapped civilians. Monday’s attack was the latest targeting army-escorted resupply convoys.
Lionel Bilgo, spokesperson for the government, called the attack “cowardly and barbaric”.
“The provisional toll is that 11 bodies of soldiers have been found,” he said. “About 50 civilians are missing and searches are ongoing.”
A video shared online showed people scrambling to retrieve goods from at least a dozen blazing trucks and a plume of smoke stretching across the scrubland.
Another video showed crowds welcoming vehicles from the convoy that had survived the attack and made it to the town of Djibo.