All Christmas Celebrations Canceled In Burkina Faso After Terrorist Attack

[Edoman]

An attack in Burkina Faso has killed 35 civilians, almost all of them women, in one of the deadliest assaults to hit the West African country in nearly five years of violence.

Seven soldiers and 80 armed fighters were also killed in Tuesday's double attack on a military base and Arbinda town in Soum province, in the country's north, according to the military.

"A large group of terrorists simultaneously attacked the military base and the civilian population in Arbinda," the army chief of staff said in a statement.

"The heroic action of our soldiers has made it possible to neutralise 80 terrorists," President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said. "This barbaric attack resulted in the death of 35 civilians, most of them women."

Remis Dandjinou, communications minister and government spokesman, later said 31 of the civilian victims were women.

"People, women, for the most part, were getting water and got murdered in cold blood by the terrorists while they were retreating. We must show compassion with the population, that is why all flags will fly at half-mast for two days and all Christmas celebrations are cancelled."

Islam is the dominant religion in Burkina Faso, a country of about 20 million people, but there is a sizeable Christian minority of about 20 percent.

The president has declared 48 hours of national mourning.

The morning raid was carried out by dozens of fighters on motorbikes and lasted several hours before troops, backed by the air force, drove the attackers back, the army said.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but previous violence in Burkina Faso has been blamed on fighters linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) groups.

"This is the worst attack ever, as far as I know, in Burkina Faso, which had its first terrorism attack only in 2015," said William Lawrence, visiting professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University's Elliott School. "Both their frequency and lethality have been increasing, but this is much much worse.

"This is a group led by someone from Burkina Faso, who's recruiting fighters from Burkina Faso, even though they launch attacks from Mali. And while they are trying to sow chaos and they are under pressure from the French, their main goal is to liberate this area and establish an Islamic state, not unlike what we saw in north Mali in 2012."

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/mourning-burkina-faso-attack-kills-dozens-191225001927810.html

[Edoman]

80 terrorists, 31 women, others killed during Christmas eve attack at Burkina-Faso military base






A militant attack in northern Burkina Faso on Tuesday, December 24th killed 35 civilians, almost all of them women.
 
Seven soldiers and 80 jihadists were also killed in the double attack on a military base in Arbinda town in Soum province. It was one of the deadliest assaults in nearly five years of jihadist violence in the country.  
 
Burkina Faso, bordering Mali and Niger, has seen regular jihadist attacks which have left hundreds dead since the start of 2015 when militant violence began to spread across the Sahel region.  
 
“A large group of terrorists simultaneously attacked the military base and the civilian population in Arbinda. This barbaric attack resulted in the deaths of 35 civilian victims, most of them women,” President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said on Twitter, praising the “bravery and commitment” of the defence and security forces.  
 
Communications minister and government spokesman Remis Dandjinou later said 31 of the civilian victims were women.
 
The president has declared 48-hours of national mourning.
 
The morning raid was carried out by dozens of jihadists on motorbikes and lasted several hours before armed forces backed by the air force drove the militants back, the army said.
 
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but jihadist violence in Burkina Faso has been blamed on militants linked to both Al Qaeda and Islamic State groups.     Leaders of the G5 Sahel nations held summit talks in Niger earlier this month, calling for closer cooperation and international support in the battle against the Islamist threat.  
 
Militant violence has spread across the vast Sahel region, especially in Burkina Faso and Niger, having started when armed Islamists revolted in northern Mali in 2012. The Sahel region of Africa lies to the south of the Sahara Desert and stretches across the breadth of the African continent.

[Edoman]

Aftermath of Burkina Faso deadly attacks: France announces military troops deployment to Burkina Faso



                                   


Following the deadly terrorist attacks that happened in Burkina Faso, killing 35 civilians, almost all of them women, on Christmas eve, the French government has announced it'll be deploying it's military to the African nation.


The attack seen as one of the deadliest in the 5 year history of jihadist operations in the country killed seven soldiers and 80 jihadists in Arbinda town in Soum province (incase you missed the story read Here)
                                            
                                                    
 
Florence Parly, the French minister of armed forces announced her country will be deploying ground troops to the "three border" areas of Burkina Faso.

During a visit to the country's capital, Ouagadougou, she said , "the launch of operation 'Bourgou 4' will be led by Barkhane [France's military operation in the Sahel region of Africa], but with the eminent contribution of two Burkinabe companies. The operation will take place in the coming days in the three border area, which is where there is most need."

This move represents France's first major commitment of ground troops in Burkina Faso, since over the last 5 years, France has deployed the majority of its 4,500 troops to other African countries like Mali, Niger and Chad.

The "three borders area" of the country is where Burkina Faso's border meets those of Mali and Niger, a region severely threatened by jihadist groups.