Around 50 soldiers were reportedly killed in a deadly assault on a military base in Dargo, located in Boulsa province in northern Burkina Faso, according to accounts from a local leader and a resident who spoke anonymously on Tuesday due to fear of retaliation.
The Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), a prominent Islamist militant group operating in the region, is suspected of orchestrating Monday’s attack. Witnesses say roughly 100 fighters stormed the base, looting and burning it following the killings.
The government has yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
JNIM has previously been blamed for widespread violence across West Africa, contributing to hundreds of civilian and military casualties. Burkina Faso is grappling with an escalating wave of militant activity, particularly outside the capital, where armed groups hold sway over vast territories.
The worsening security crisis has triggered political upheaval in the country, paving the way for successive coups. Despite efforts to consolidate military and diplomatic alliances, current leader Captain Ibrahim Traore has struggled to quell the Islamist insurgency.
