Share

Six dead in Burkina 'terrorist' attack

Six people, five of them police, were killed in a "terrorist attack" in eastern Burkina Faso, the defence ministry said late on Monday.

Five people - four gendarmes and a civilian - were killed on Saturday when their vehicle struck a mine about 100km from Fada N'Gourma, the chief town in the east of the Sahel country, it said in a statement.

A sixth person, also a gendarme, was killed later in a shootout with the assailants.

The attack happened while their convoy was returning from escorting a mission to a mining complex at Boungou, the ministry said.

"The lead vehicle hit a mine. The rest of the convoy came under heavy fire," it said.

Burkina Faso has been battling an escalating wave of jihadist attacks over the last three years, beginning in the north of the country but now spreading to the east, near the border with Togo and Benin.

The security forces have carried out a series of arrests in recent months, detaining hundreds of people in connection with the attacks.

* Sign up to News24's top Africa news in your inbox: SUBSCRIBE TO THE HELLO AFRICA NEWSLETTER

FOLLOW News24 Africa on Twitter and Facebook

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
40% - 76 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
60% - 112 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
19.09
-1.0%
Rand - Pound
24.06
-0.7%
Rand - Euro
20.58
-0.5%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.39
-0.3%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.9%
Platinum
894.64
-0.3%
Palladium
992.99
-0.9%
Gold
2,196.85
+0.1%
Silver
24.44
-0.8%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
67,964
+0.4%
All Share
74,173
+0.4%
Resource 10
56,465
+1.4%
Industrial 25
103,617
+0.3%
Financial 15
16,480
-0.3%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE