Ouagadougou, Oct 29 (AFP/APP):Burkino Faso rebels on Friday attacked two mining convoys, killing at least one soldier and wounding another in the north and east of the country, security sources told AFP.
A convoy travelling under military escort was hit by an explosive device in eastern Tapoa province, one of the sources said, adding: “One soldier was killed and another injured.”
In the northern region of Sahel, unidentified gunmen “attacked a convoy from the Essakane (gold) mine” on the road to Dori, the main town, the source said.
“Four people are missing and four vehicles, including three buses, were set on fire,” the source said.
Another security source confirmed the second attack, saying it was carried out by “six pairs (of assailants) on motorbikes who intercepted the convoy at around 8 am”.
A hunt is underway for the attackers and the missing people, the person said.
Burkina Faso has been facing increasingly frequent and deadly attacks by jihadist groups affiliated to al-Qaeda or the so-called Islamic State, targeting civilians and soldiers since 2015.
The violence, sometimes mixed with inter-communal conflicts, has left around 2,000 people dead and forced 1.4 million people to flee their homes.
The sources also said that on Thursday two gendarmes were killed in an attack on a checkpoint in the northern province of Oudalan, without giving further details.
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