13 Soldiers Killed in an ambush in Burkina Faso

At least 13 Burkina Faso soldiers were killed and several others went missing on Sunday in an ambush near Taparko, a mining town in the northern part of the country plagued by frequent and deadly jihadist attacks.

The soldiers were on their way to an inspection and security mission on the Taparko - Tougouri axis where, earlier in the morning, two people were killed by the explosion of an improvised explosive device as a transport bus passed by.

On Saturday, an attack on an artisanal gold mine in the north of the country left at least eleven civilians dead, on the road between Dori, capital of the Sahel region, and Gorom-Gorom.

There has been an increase in attacks with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) coupled up with ambushes since 2018 that have claimed the lives of nearly 300 civilians and military personnel.

The military junta led by Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba has made the fight against jihadism and the rebuilding of Burkina Faso state his "priority. Damiba has been in power following a military coup that toppled President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré and placed him under house arrest for failing to stem jihadist violence.

Burkina Faso, particularly the northern and eastern regions, has faced jihadist attacks that have killed more than 2,000 people and forced more than 1.7 million to flee their homes since 2015.