Burkina Faso: The death toll from the security crackdown has risen to 53 | Stories

The Inata attack killed 49 soldiers and four civilians, a government spokesman said.

Number of people who have died from a the attack of the sabbath The gendarmerie area in northern Burkina Faso has risen to 53, according to officials.

The attack, near a gold mine in Inata, killed 49 soldiers and four civilians, state spokesman Ousseni Tamboura said on Wednesday, reviving the previous 32 casualties.

“Fortunately, we have found 46 live gendarms,” ​​Tamboura said after a cabinet meeting.

However, there were fears that the threat could escalate as reports quoted local sources that about 150 gendarms had been placed on the site.

Sunday’s bloodshed in the northern state of Soum is one of the deadliest incidents in Burkinabe since the violence began by the military six years ago.

It has sparked protests by government officials over a long-running civil war that has killed thousands and forced more than a million people to flee their homes.

National funeral

On Tuesday, hundreds of protesters marched through the streets of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, demanding the resignation of President Roch Kabore for failing to lead the al-Qaeda-ISIL (ISIS) militant group that often attacks Burkinabe troops and civilians. ordinary.

Officials have announced three days of mourning in the country, from Tuesday to Thursday.

Speaking at a rally on Wednesday, Kabore said he understood why some citizens were outraged by the plot and the circumstances.

Workers at the gendarmerie ran out of food and were forced to kill animals near the area for the past two weeks, according to a memo sent by the postmaster to his superiors last week and reviewed by Reuters.

“We should no longer hear about food in our army,” Kabore said, pledging to investigate. “We need to put our men in situations that allow them to deal with terrorism with confidence and determination.”

Two security officials have already been fired, according to Tamboura.