Kodyel attack
Kodyel attack | |
---|---|
Part of the insurgency in the Maghreb and terrorism in Burkina Faso | |
Location | Kodyel, Foutouri, Burkina Faso |
Coordinates | 14°49′48″N 01°48′45″E / 14.83000°N 1.81250°ECoordinates: 14°49′48″N 01°48′45″E / 14.83000°N 1.81250°E |
Date | 3 May 2021 |
Attack type | Arson, mass shooting |
Deaths | 30 |
Injured | 20 |
Perpetrator | 100+ Islamists |
Motive | Islamic extremism, revenge for aid in battle against insurgency |
On May 3, 2021, Islamic militants attacked Kodyel, a village in Foutouri, Burkina Faso.[1] The attack left at least 30 people dead and another 20 injured.[2]
Background[]
An Islamist insurgency spread throughout the Maghreb during the early 21st century. Burkina Faso suffered a lot of unrest during the 2010s. Several major insurgent attacks occurred in the landlocked West African country during the latter part of that decade. Most attacks occur near the country's borders with Mali and Niger. However, major attacks occurred in Ouagadougou in 2016, 2017 and 2018. The insurgency continued into the 2020s, including two fatal attacks on 26 April 2021.[3] In the Est Region, two Spanish journalists and an Irish conservationist were killed and a Burkinabé soldier went missing when their anti-poaching patrol was ambushed.[3] In the Sahel Region, 18 people were killed in Yattakou village.[3]
Attack[]
Over 100 heavily armed militants on motorcycles and pick-up trucks stormed the village of Koydel in Foutori, a department in Burkina Faso located in Komondjari Province near the border with Niger, with a population mainly from the Gurma ethnnic group.[3] The attackers initially burned homes and other buildings. Residents exited the buildings after they were set on fire and smoke was increasing; the attackers then opened fire, killing several people at the scene.[4] Survivors then escaped, and the perpetrators opened fire again, killing and wounding many more people. At least 30 civilians were killed and at least 20 more wounded. Children were among the casualties. The village was empty in the immediate aftermath of the attack, as the residents who survived had fled to nearby towns. The attack is one of the deadliest in Burkina Faso's modern history. The assault is suspected to be a revenge as the village recently provided fighters to a volunteer programme which is fighting against the Islamists.[5]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "Around 30 reportedly killed in Burkina Faso village attack". BBC News. 3 May 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
- ^ "Around 30 killed in attack on village in eastern Burkina Faso, security sources say". Reuters. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Dozens killed in eastern Burkina Faso attack". Al Jazeera English. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ "Une nouvelle attaque djihadiste fait une trentaine de morts dans l'est du Burkina Faso". www.lemonde.fr (in French). 2021-05-04.
- ^ "Dozens killed in suspected jihadist attack in eastern Burkina Faso". France 24. 3 May 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
- 2021 fires
- 2021 in Burkina Faso
- 2021 mass shootings
- 2021 murders in Africa
- 2020s fires in Africa
- 2020s mass shootings in Africa
- 2020s murders in Burkina Faso
- 21st-century mass murder in Burkina Faso
- Arson in Africa
- Arson in the 2020s
- Attacks on buildings and structures in 2021
- Attacks on buildings and structures in Africa
- Islamic terrorist incidents in 2021
- Komondjari Province
- Massacres in 2021
- Massacres in Burkina Faso
- May 2021 crimes in Africa
- Terrorist incidents in Africa in 2021
- Terrorist incidents in Burkina Faso