Security officials in Burkina Faso report that unidentified assailants have killed three members of the Homeland Defense Volunteers, a group of citizens who receive basic military training, as well as 31 troops.
According to the army, more than 40 attackers were slain during the encounter. Alongside the army, the volunteers perform tasks including escorting, gathering intelligence, and spying.
The incident, which targeted a supply convoy, happened on Monday in the Central-North province of Bam.
Over two million people have been displaced, and at least 10,000 people have died as a result of the ongoing terrorist insurgency that Burkina Faso has been dealing with from neighbouring Mali.
Since 2022, attacks by armed assailants attack on civilians have surged while state security forces and volunteer defence troops have conducted a number of abusive counter-terrorism operations, Human Rights Watch said in March.
Recall, in May, News Central reported that two separate attacks by insurgents claimed the lives of almost 40 civilians in Burkina Faso.
It is pertinent to mention that that in April 2023, News Central reported that Insurgents donning military uniforms killed 60 civilians in Northern Burkina Faso.