At Least 60 Civilians Killed in Burkina Faso Attack

Facts

• Around 60 civilians were killed in the village of Karma in northern Burkina Faso near the border with Mali, a local prosecutor said on Sunday, citing police sources.¹
• Prosecutor Lamine Kabore reported that the attack in the northern Yatenga province occurred this past Thursday and was perpetrated by armed men in uniforms of the country's armed forces, adding that the attackers took 'various goods.'²
• Eyewitnesses to the raid in the conflict-stricken country believe that about 80 men and young people were killed, and said that more than 100 assailants invaded the village on motorcycles and pickup trucks.³
• The latest attack followed last week's reported killing of 34 volunteer defense forces and six soldiers by unknown assailants in the Sahel country's border region with Mali, an area frequently targeted by militants with ties to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.⁴
• Burkina Faso's interim military government, which seeks to retake 40% of the country's territory controlled by jihadists, recently announced a 'general mobilisation [sic]' amid the latest uptick in violent attacks blamed on Islamist militants.⁵
• According to the 2023 Global Terrorism Index, the Sahel region is 'now the epicenter of terrorism,' ranking Burkina Faso as the second most terrorism-affected country in the world, behind Afghanistan, with 8,564 victims in 2022.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Rfi, ³France 24, ⁴Premium times nigeria, ⁵Trtworld and ⁶Africanews.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Iol. The latest attack is a sad setback for Burkina Faso in its ongoing fight against terrorism. However, this doesn't change the fact that the government is on the right track after throwing out the French — who have been chronically unsuccessful in fighting jihadism for years while pursuing their neocolonial interests. Only a sovereign and truly independent Burkina Faso in a multipolar world will ultimately bring lasting security and peace to its people.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Stars and stripes. The jihadist attack is another indication that the security situation in Burkina Faso continues to deteriorate after the military junta forced France to leave. If the regime now turns to the Kremlin and its notorious Wagner mercenaries, it is safe to assume that the country's security will continue to deteriorate and serious human rights violations will become more common. The junta has only itself to blame for Burkina Faso's increasing destabilization.