Ekeomah Atuonwu
Villagers who escaped a jihadist massacre in northern Burkina Faso said Tuesday that after government forces left the area, they were left without any protection from the attackers.
Armed men moved unhindered through the village of Seytengaon Saturday evening, shooting, burning, and looting, they claimed.
It is the second deadliest attack in Burkina Faso’s jihadist insurgency’s nearly seven-year history.
Thousands of people have died as a result of the campaign, which has forced nearly two million people to flee their homes and dealt a crippling economic blow to one of the world’s poorest nations.
Survivors who fled to Dori, the nearest large town to Seytenga, said the military had left the area on Friday, a day after a jihadist attack in which 11 gendarmes were killed.
“The following day (on Friday), when the bodies were picked up, the security forces packed their bags and left,” said a survivor named Amadou.
“We raised the alarm, we asked for there to be at least a reinforcement to provide security for defenceless people.”
Two other survivors confirmed this account.
“On Friday, the gendarmerie, escorted by the army which had arrived to provide reinforcement, fell back to Dori,” said one.
“When the gendarmerie left after the first attack, people started to flee the town,” said another.
The bloodbath started on Saturday evening, a market day, the witnesses said.
“Armed men came and took position, surrounding the village and opening fire. They even opened doors to go inside homes and execute” people, said Amadou.
Only an attack in the northeast of the country in June last year, which left 132 people dead, has a higher death toll than Seytenga. According to local sources, 160 people died.
Anger over the Soltan attack and a raid at Inata five months later that killed 57 gendarmes fueled a military coup in January.
Faced with mounting anger over his failure to quell the insurgency, a group of colonels deposed elected president RochMarc Christian Kabore.
Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, the new strongman, has made security a top priority.
Hundreds of people have died in the last three months, highlighting the difficulties faced by the country’s under-equipped army in combating a ruthless and highly mobile foe.
DEATH TOLL RISES TO 79
The government has confirmed that the death toll from the northern Burkina Faso massacre has risen to 79.
“An additional twenty-nine bodies have been discovered. This figure is in addition to the 50 bodies that have already been discovered, bringing the total number of victims of the killings to 79”, according to the statement, which also stated that search operations were ongoing.
The attack took place in the village of Seytenga over the weekend.
It came two days after a jihadist attack on government forces prompted the army to launch an offensive against the militants.
It is the deadliest attack in at least a year in the West African country, which is battling an insurgency by groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.
