Twenty-nine killed in two attacks in Burkina Faso

At least 29 people were killed in two separate incidents in Burkina Faso’s troubled north on Sunday after a food convoy and a transport truck were attacked, the government said.

One vehicle transporting people and goods “rode over an improvised explosive device (IED) in the Barsalogho area” leaving at least 15 passengers dead, government spokesman Remis Fulgance Dandjinou said in a statement. Most of the dead were traders.

Meanwhile, around 50 kilometres away, 14 people were killed after a convoy of mostly three-wheelers taking food to people displaced by fighting, was attacked.

“This drama comes as important security efforts are underway in this region,” officials said. “Military reinforcements have been deployed.”

A former French colony that ranks among the world’s poorest countries, Burkina Faso has been struggling with an Islamist militant revolt since 2015.

The West African country’s army has been increasingly targeted by jihadists. Earlier this month, an attack on a military base in northern Burkina Faso killed 24 soldiers.

The insurgency, which originated in neighbouring Mali, began in the north but has since spread to the east.

Since 2015, more than 500 people have died in attacks that have become increasingly violent especially in the north and the east, according to a toll compiled by AFP.

The capital Ouagadougou has been attacked three times, including a March 2018 assault on the military headquarters that left eight dead.

A summit of regional heads of state is due to be held in Ouagadougou on Saturday to discuss the security situation.