CNN reported, citing a French government security assessment, that around 600 people were killed within hours by al-Qaeda-linked militants in Burkina Faso in August. The attack, which occurred in the town of Barsalogo on August 24, was one of the deadliest in Africa in decades.
The armed group known as Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslim (JNIM) rode into the suburb of Barsalogo on motorbikes and systematically opened fire, killing villagers. Civilians, including women and children, were targeted as they tried to dig ditches to protect the town. A video posted online by a pro-JNIM account shows militants on motorcycles shooting dead villagers who tried to play dead.
The UN initially estimated the death toll at 200, but JNIM claimed responsibility for 300 deaths. However, CNN reported that up to 600 people were shot dead in the attack, citing a French government security assessment.
The group said its main targets were members of militias allied with the military, rather than civilians. Reuters reported that in a communiqué translated by SITE Intelligence Group, JNIM said: “The people eliminated in this attack are nothing but militia members of the Burkina Faso army… I didn’t lie,” he commented.
French officials spoke of the deteriorating security situation in Burkina Faso. “Armed terrorist groups are enjoying freedom of action because security forces are unable to respond,” the official told CNN.
Witnesses said the massacre followed military orders that told locals to set up a network of trenches around the town. Survivors described their attempts to hide from their attackers. One survivor said: “In fact, there were bloodstains everywhere along the way. I heard screaming everywhere. I lay face down under the bushes and hid until late in the afternoon.” Another survivor said two family members were killed in the attack. “They killed people all day long. For three days we collected bodies, but they were scattered everywhere. Fear penetrated our hearts,” she said. The incident highlights ongoing security challenges in Burkina Faso, with local communities severely affected by armed violence.
Members associated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have killed about 3,800 people this year, the ACLED analysis group reported. ACLED tracks global conflicts and provided these numbers.
The Burkina Faso conflict began in 2015 and has since left more than 20,000 people dead and more than 2 million displaced.
