At least 13 military personnel were killed in Burkina Faso on Saturday in an attack allegedly carried out by an armed terrorist group wearing the same leopard attire as the Burkinabe soldiers, who were caught en route to Natiaboani, in the southeast of the country.
The soldiers had left Fada N’Gourma in that direction in search of relief, although civilians and volunteers «for the defense of the homeland», i.e. military auxiliaries, were also in the convoy, according to a local source quoted by Radio France International (RFI).
In particular, the attack took place in the locality of Kikideni, located almost halfway along the route that the soldiers had planned to travel.
According to the source consulted by the French radio station, the attackers were dressed like the Burkinabe soldiers, got into the convoy and joined the team. The death of 13 people has been confirmed in a preliminary report by the security forces, according to the same source.
Earlier in the week, ten other soldiers were killed in the town of Djibo, in a clash in which 18 jihadists were also killed and more than 50 people were wounded.
This Monday, the Patriotic Defense and Vigilance Brigade, a paramilitary force of volunteers enlisted to fight terrorism, launched a new call for the recruitment of 15,000 new members of this militia.
