A deadly attack took place today at a military base in Burkina Faso, killing 12 soldiers and 4 of the attackers, according to an official statement. The bomber struck shortly after noon in front of a military base in Namisiguima, Sanatenga Prefecture.
Aid was sent to the base immediately, the army said in a statement, which did not provide details about the perpetrators of the attack.
The West African country is facing a jihadist uprising that has spread from neighboring Mali over the past decade. Al Qaeda and Islamic State-linked groups have launched deadly raids in both Burkina Faso and neighboring Niger.
Thousands have been killed in the conflict, and more than 2 million are estimated to have been displaced from the Sahel region, despite the presence of foreign troops and the UN peacekeeping force.
Anxiety about the government’s inability to protect the population has sparked protests in Burkina Faso, which led to a military coup last January. It was the fourth coup in West Africa in 18 months, two in Mali and one in Guinea.
The unrest in the Sahel began in 2012 when rebels took control of northern Mali, prompting intervention by France (a former colonial power) the following year in a bid to repel them.
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