Fourteen civilians died, and four were seriously injured in an explosion in northwest Burkina Faso today. It was an improvised roadside bomb that exploded when a bus passed by; the local authorities reported this.
The incident happened around 9 a.m. local time on the road between Toeni and Tongan, in the province of Sourou on the border with Mali. “The victims are mainly pupils who returned after the Christmas holidays,” according to a local source.
Burkina Faso – which borders Mali and Niger – is facing jihadist attacks. Since 2015, they have killed at least 750 people and displaced 560,000.
Earlier today, the general staff of the Burkinabe army reported an attack yesterday morning by jihadists against security forces in the northern town of Inata.
The soldiers were able to repel the attack and “neutralize a dozen terrorists”. They also seized “weapons, ammunition and various other things such as narcotics”.
