At least 40 civilians were killed in an attack on Sunday in Djibo, in northern Burkina Faso, the UN Human Rights Office said Tuesday.
"A large number of Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) fighters attacked a military base, homes and Internally Displaced People's camps in the city Djibo, in the Sahel region, killing at least 40 civilians and injuring more than 42," the UN agency said.
An army detachment in Djibo in northern Burkina Faso was the target of the attack, according to security sources.
"The attack began around 3pm (local time and GMT) on Sunday and was carried out by several hundred armed men who tried in vain to penetrate the (military base)," said the source.
They added that the attackers were hit by army aircraft.
The security source said that the attack was carried out by "several waves of armed groups" for more than three hours.
A follow-up search for the assailant survivors of the attack on Monday "made it possible to neutralise several dozen other terrorists", the source said.
The Burkina Faso Information Agency said "more than 400 terrorists (were) destroyed during the counter-offensive by the Burkinabe Armed Forces against nearly 3,000 criminals who tried to seize the town of Djibo".
The country is battling an insurgency that spilled over from neighbouring Mali in 2015 and has left more than 17,000 civilians and soldiers dead and displaced 2 million people.
Burkina Faso is ruled by a transitional government put in place after a September 2022 coup.
The junta-led government has been conscripting men over 18 for its anti-insurgent fight.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
