Authorities announced on Monday that at least 10 persons were killed and five more injured when a passenger bus hit a landmine in eastern Burkina Faso on Christmas Day.
The bus was on its way from the market town of Fada N’Gourma, which is located around 220 kilometres from the country’s capital Ouagadougou, to the border town of Kantchari in the vicinity of the neighboring Niger.
The attack took place in a region where the government is engaged in conflict with rebels affiliated with Al Qaeda in North Africa and members of the Islamic State, but no one has claimed credit.
Large portions of Burkina Faso are under the control of the militants. More than 2,000 people have been killed and up to 2 million people have been displaced as a result of their attacks and blockades of several towns in the north and east of the nation since 2015.
Although no one has claimed responsibility, the attack took place in a region where the government is engaged in conflict with ISIL and al-Qaeda in North Africa forces.
According to an internal security report for aid organizations reviewed by the Associated Press, Sunday’s incident occurred the day after another explosive exploded in the east, between Ougarou and Matiacoali villages, injuring five soldiers. According to the investigation, an apartment close to a mining site was the target of the mine.
When visiting patients in the hospital on Sunday, a Fada N’Gourma local informed newsmen that some of the seriously injured had passed away and that everyone was afraid.