Politics

Burkina Faso: Dozens Killed In Suspected Jihadist Attacks

JAN 23 2022·Updated AUG 3 2022

Story

Image credit: Reuters [via Al Arabiya]

The Facts

At least 34 people were killed over the weekend by suspected Islamist militants in several attacks on villages in northern Burkina Faso, one of the world's poorest countries.
France 24
Government officials said Mon., that "armed men" killed 22 people late Sun. in Bourasso in the northwestern province of Kossi after the killing of 12 people during a raid on Sat. in Namissiguima in the northern province of Yatenga.
France 24
This comes a week after eight civilians were killed following an alleged terrorist attack in the village of Sandiaga in Burkina Faso's eastern province of Koulpelogo.
Guardian
The latest raids also follow one of the bloodiest attacks in the country's history, in which 79 people were reportedly killed by Islamist insurgents in the northern province of Seno in mid-June.
ITN
Civilians were recently ordered to leave two vast "military interest zones" in the northern province of Soum, close to Mali, and on the southern border with Benin ahead of military operations against insurgent groups.
Al Jazeera
Attacks by Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS have been soaring in the West African country since 2015, reportedly killing thousands and displacing about 1.9M.
CGTN Africa

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The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

For years, Washington has warned that jihadists are targeting West Africa while they continue to destabilize the Sahel. Various coups in recent years have hampered the efforts of Western powers, mostly France and the US, to get the situation under control by militarily supporting local governments. The coup in Burkina Faso is just one of the latest sad examples.

wsj

Establishment-critical narrative

The deteriorating security crisis in West Africa is primarily the result of the West's decade-long political and military interference under the guise of fighting terrorism. And it's no coincidence that anti-European and especially anti-French sentiments are on the rise. There is hope for the region only when it's no longer possible for the West to pursue its geopolitical interests unchallenged by pretending to "help."