OUAGADOUGOU: At least 33 people were murdered when gunmen opened fire on vegetable producers in a jihadist-hit area of Burkina Faso, the governor announced on Saturday.
Eight of Burkina Faso’s 13 regions, including the western Boucle du Mouhoun, have had an emergency in place since March.
Governor Babo Pierre Bassinga stated that the attack on the farmers occurred on Thursday at approximately 5:00 pm (1700 GMT).
In the department of Cheriba, province of Mouhoun, the village of Youlou “suffered a cowardly and barbaric terrorist attack,” he declared.
He said that the “provisional death toll” included 33 victims and stated that “the gunmen targeted peaceful civilians” who were farming near the river.
According to local accounts, the farmers had been randomly shot upon by highly armed intruders on motorbikes.
The victims were buried on Friday.
In Cheriba, residents said three other people had sustained bullet injuries in the attack, and that the terrorists had burned property before shooting.
The governor said that security in the area was being beefed up.
In order to defeat terrorism and ultimately bring about peace and stability again, Bassinga asked the local populace to “intensify their vigilance and continue collaborating with the fighting forces.”
