By Ebi Kesiena
Ten people were killed in an attack in northern Burkina Faso on Monday, while four others went missing.
According to a Government source, unidentified armed men attacked the group of civilians as they were driving their carts to market in the town of Markoye, in Burkina Faso’s Sahel reserve.
The area, which borders Mali and Niger, has been overrun by Islamist militants who wage frequent attacks despite the presence of a regional counter-terrorism force and French troops.
Burkina Faso on Monday marked the 61st anniversary of its army with a ceremony focused on the fight against terrorism.
Also, five police officers were killed on Sunday in another attack in the north of the country, and about 15 attackers were killed in the ensuing fight, the Security Ministry said.
The state news agency also reported that two women and a baby were killed on Sunday when their cart hit an improvised land mine in the department of Ouindigui.
However, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Islamist attacks have surged across Africa’s Sahel region, killing thousands and driving millions from their homes in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. More than 1.3 million Burkinabe have been displaced by the violence in the last two years.
