Ouagadougou: In a chilling escalation of Islamic terrorism in West Africa, terrorists linked to the Al-Qaeda affiliate group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) gunned down over 600 civilians in a brutal attack on August 24, 2023, in Burkina Faso. A report by French security agencies has revealed the harrowing details of the massacre, marking one of the deadliest single-day attacks in Africa in recent decades.

The attack took place in Barsalogho town, where local civilians had been digging trenches for protection under orders from the military. The trenches were intended to defend against jihadist threats, but JNIM militants launched an assault before the defences could be completed. Eyewitnesses reported that the terrorists accused the civilians of being combatants simply because of their involvement in the trench digging.

Graphic videos circulating on social media show hundreds of people lying defenceless in the dirt, where they were ruthlessly shot. Among the victims were women and children, many of whom were killed while attempting to play dead. The gut-wrenching footage captures the sounds of their screams mixed with the relentless gunfire of the militants.

JNIM, which is based in Mali but operates widely in Burkina Faso and other West African nations, has long been involved in terror attacks across the region. The group has taken advantage of the instability caused by a series of coups in the area, exploiting the power vacuum left by fleeing Western forces to expand their influence and terrorize local populations.

While the United Nations initially estimated a death toll of around 200, JNIM claimed responsibility for killing 300 individuals, insisting that they were militias aligned with the army, not civilians. However, the French security assessment paints a far grimmer picture, pegging the number of civilian deaths at over 600. The report also underscores the increasing frequency and intensity of such large-scale attacks, warning that the current rate of violence poses an unsustainable threat to Burkina Faso’s government and security forces. This massacre is yet another stark reminder of the profound security challenges faced by West African nations in their ongoing battle against jihadist terrorism.

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