Homemade bomb explosion in Burkina Faso leaves at least 35 dead and dozens injured
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The attack occurred between the cities of Djibo and Bourzanga, on a route where 15 soldiers died in early August in a double attack with homemade explosives planted by jihadist groups.
Authorities reported 35 civilians were killed and 37 others wounded after an improvised explosive device hit a convoy carrying supplies in the northern region of Burkina Faso.
The incident took place to the north on a road between Bourzanga and Djibo, according to a statement from the governor of the Sahel region, Rodolphe Sorgo.
“One of the vehicles carrying civilians collided with an improvised explosive device. The provisional figure is 35 dead and 37 wounded, all civilians ,” he said.
35 civilians killed in IED blast in Burkina Faso https://t.co/VLuUb4Eqhb
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“Police officers quickly secured the perimeter and took steps to assist the victims,” the statement said, adding that the convoy left north for Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou.
A Djibo resident said “several dozen vehicles, including trucks and public transport buses” were hit.
In recent weeks, jihadist groups have blown up the roads to the two big cities in the north of Burkina Faso, Dori and Djibo , to try to isolate them.
Burkina Faso, where the military seized power in January promising to make the anti-jihadist fight a priority, faces, like several of its neighbors, organizations linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
More than 40 percent of its territory is outside state control, according to official figures, and attacks have multiplied since the beginning of the year.
Since 2015, jihadist violence has left thousands dead and some two million displaced in the country.