35 civilians killed, 37 injured in Burkina Faso blast

KIGALI, Rwanda

At least 35 civilians were killed and 37 more injured as a convoy of vehicles hit an improvised explosive device (IED) in Burkina Faso’s Sahel region on Monday.

The explosion took place on a road between Djibo and Bourzanga, according to a statement by Rodolphe Sorgo, the governor of Sahel, which borders Mali and Niger.

All of the victims were civilians and the convoy was carrying supplies to the capital Ouagadougou.

“On Sep. 5, 2022, an escorted supply convoy bound for Ouagadougou was the target of an attack. One of the vehicles carrying civilians hit an improvised explosive device,” the statement said.

The wounded have been shifted to health facilities for treatment, it added.

Burkina Faso has been battling an insurgency that spread from neighboring Mali over the past decade.

In an address over the weekend, Burkina Faso junta leader Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba claimed efforts have led to a relative calm in several localities plagued by terrorist attacks in recent months.

International aid groups operating in the West African country warned on Monday that almost 2 million people have been displaced in Burkina Faso, with nearly one in 10 people forced from their homes by conflict.

They said numerous violent attacks drove more people to flee this January to July than in all of last year.