More than ten Volunteers for the Defense of the Fatherland (volontaires pour la défense de la patrie, VDP) were killed last Wednesday in a new attack by alleged jihadists in the north of the country, which has been plunged into mourning again in recent weeks.

At noon on Wednesday (local time; 14:00 Greek time), “terrorists” attacked a “VDP group” on the outskirts of Belga, in the province of Namedega (north), sources in the area said.

“We lost a dozen (paramilitaries) and we have five wounded,” said a VDP officer in the area, hastening to add “the enemy also suffered numerous casualties.”

A member of the VDP, for his part, spoke of “13 dead” in the attack, adding that “clearance operations with the support of the army” are underway.

The community of Belga is located approximately 170 kilometers northeast of the capital Ouagadougou.

The latest deadly attack comes amid a resurgence of jihadist activity in Burkina Faso in recent weeks.

Last Friday and Monday, at least 70 soldiers were killed in two attacks in the north, near the border with Mali.

Since the beginning of the year, attacks in the African country attributed to jihadists have claimed the lives of more than 200 people, civilians and soldiers.

Burkina Faso, theater of two military coups in 2022, has been faced since 2015 with the escalating violence of the jihadists who appeared in Mali a few years earlier and spread beyond its borders.

Since 2015, their action has claimed the lives of more than 10,000 people and displaced more than two million residents, according to NGOs.

The head of the military junta, Captain Ibrahim Traore, on Tuesday reaffirmed his “determination” to crack down on organizations that pledge allegiance to either the Islamic State or al-Qaeda.

Shortly after seizing power in a coup on September 30, 2022, he stated that his goal was to “recapture” 40% of the territory, which the authorities admit is under the control of the jihadists.