Ten soldiers and 32 civilian aides to Burkina Faso’s army were killed on Saturday and Sunday in two attacks in the north of the country, which declared a “general mobilization” against violence by Islamic fundamentalist groups.
On Saturday, the “military volunteer detachment for the defense of the Motherland [VDP, auxiliares civis do exército] was attacked by unidentified gunmen” at around 4:00 pm (5:00 pm in Lisbon) near Aorema, about 15 kilometers from Huaguiguy, the northern region’s capital, according to a government statement released on Sunday.
The army said “the death toll is 40 combatants” – “eight soldiers and 32 airborne troops” – and added that “at least 50 terrorists” were “neutralized” in “response actions”, including from the air.