- Sputnik International, 1920
Africa
Get the latest Africa news from Sputnik: breaking news, photos, videos, analysis, and features.

Report: Al-Qaeda Claims Responsibility for Burkina Faso Attack Amid Security Crisis

© AP Photo / Rebecca BlackwellIn this July 27, 2013 file photo, a French soldier stands watch behind Malian soldiers during a visit by the head of France's Operation Serval and Mali's army chief of staff to a Malian army base in Kidal, Mali.
In this July 27, 2013 file photo, a French soldier stands watch behind Malian soldiers during a visit by the head of France's Operation Serval and Mali's army chief of staff to a Malian army base in Kidal, Mali. - Sputnik International, 1920, 05.10.2022
Subscribe
On September 26, terrorists attacked a military convoy nearby Gaskinde, Burkina Faso. Eleven soldiers were killed and about 50 civilians were reported missing, according to the previous government. The attacked convoy was traveling to Djibo in the country’s north.
An Al Qaeda* branch operating in the Sahel region has claimed responsibility for the September 26 attack in Burkina Faso, in which almost a dozen soldiers taking supplies to a town in the north died, according to Reuters, citing the SITE Intelligence Group’s Tuesday statement.
The Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen branch reportedly stated that the attack "caused significant economic losses to the enemy and ‘led to a shakeup’ in the Burkinabe Army ranks, culminating in the military coup". Burkina Faso suffered a coup carried out by Captain Ibrahim Traore on September 30, as a result of which the previous government - headed by Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba - was removed.
According to an International Crisis Group report from 2017, terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso severely intensified since 2015, and the north of the country, which neighbors Mali and Niger, suffers the most.
So far in 2022, the African country experienced at least seven attacks.
The deadliest attack of recent years happened on June 4-5, 2021, when over 160 people were killed in the Solhan village in northeastern Burkina Faso. According to the Crisis24 company's analysis, the Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimeen and Ansar-ul Islam groups are the largest armed groups in the country.
The security problem is so significant that Burkina Faso's authorities are not able to control around 40 percent of the country's territory, a mediator from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) stated in June this year.
Burkina Faso Armed Forces Capt. Ibrahim Traore and other officers read a statement on Burkinabe television on September 30, 2022, announcing the overthrow of Paul-Henri Damiba, who himself took power using the military in January 2022. - Sputnik International, 1920, 30.09.2022
Africa
WATCH Burkina Faso Army Captain Declare Coup Government Overthrown, Constitution Suspended
The country's security problems were one of the reasons that led to the military coup as officers leading the effort explained that their decision to remove Damiba from power was caused, among other things, by a failure to deal with an armed uprising by Islamist militants.
The coup leaders also expressed their determination to deal with the security situation and, in particular, change their international security partners, effectively ditching cooperation with the French. Moreover, prior to the latest coup, the country saw multiple mass protests against the government's handling of security issues, during which some of the participants carried Russian flags.
French troops were deployed in the Sahel in 2014 as part of Operation Barkhane, which looked to fight terrorists in response to the tensions growing in the Sahel after NATO forces removed Muammar Gaddafi in Libya in 2011. Experts believe that Gaddafi was able to contain the contradictions between the regional forces, which prevented the spread of terrorism.
However, even after years of operating in the region, France failed to tackle the crisis, which caused multiple anti-French protests.
In recent months, mass protests against the French military mission have arisen again in many countries of Western Africa due to the fact that the French troops' presence has not improved the security situation.
Supporters of Capt. Ibrahim Traore parade waving a Russian flag in the streets of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022. Burkina Faso's new junta leadership is calling for calm after the French Embassy and other buildings were attacked. The unrest following the West African nation's second coup this year came after a junta statement alleged that the ousted interim president was at a French military base in Ouagadougou. France vehemently denied the claim and has urged its citizens to stay indoors amid rising anti-French sentiment in the streets. (AP Photo/Sophie Garcia) - Sputnik International, 1920, 04.10.2022
Africa
Protesters Hold Pro-Russian Rally in Burkina Faso After Military Takeover - Photo, Video
* terrorist organization outlawed in Russia and many other states.
Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала