At least 15 people killed in jihadist attack in Burkina Faso

Suspected jihadists have invaded a village in the troubled northern region of Burkina Faso, killing 15 people, looting and burning shops and motorcycles, a local governor said.

The raid took place in the night from Thursday to Friday with "about 20 individuals attacking the village of Diblou" in Sanmatenga province, a security source said Saturday.

The initial death toll was estimated at 14. However, the governor of this north-central region, Casimir Segueda, revised the figure to 15, adding that the village market had also been set on fire.

The attack forced dozens of people to flee to the surrounding areas.

One resident said that "terrorists set fire to shops and motorcycles".

"Almost all the market has been looted," added the resident.

The West African state has been fighting for four years against a wave of jihadist attacks that began in the north of the country but has since spread to the east, near the border with Togo and Benign.

Thousands of displaced people
Most attacks in the former French colony are attributed to the jihadist group Ansarul Islam, which appeared near the Malian border in December 2016, and the JNIM (support group for Islam and Muslims), who swore allegiance to Al Qaeda in Islam The Maghreb.

These groups would be responsible for about 500 deaths since 2015.

In May this year, Roch Marc's government, Christian Kaboré, launched a military operation called Otapuanu to drive out jihadist groups in the north and central Sahel, with little success.

Instability has displaced thousands of people. Earlier this month, humanitarian officials said the number of displaced people has increased from 170,000 to 220,000 since 2018.