Attacks in northern Burkina Faso kill at least 18

An attack in Burkina Faso on Thursday has claimed the lives of at least 18 civilians including 16 army volunteers.

Both attacks took place in the north of the country, a region that since 2005 has been facing attacks by jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. 

The attacks have recently multiplied. They have left thousands of dead and at least two million displaced.

Captain Ibrahim Traoré, the transitional president who emerged from a military coup on September 30th - the second in eight months - has set himself the goal of "reconquering the territory occupied by these terrorist hordes".

At the end of 2022, the government launched a campaign to recruit new auxiliaries to help the army in its fight against the jihadists. 

Out of an estimated need of 50,000 people, 90,000 volunteers have signed up.