On 3 May 2021, Islamic militants attacked Kodyel, a village in Foutouri,

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

. The attack left at least 30 people dead and another 20 injured.

Background

An Islamist insurgency spread throughout the Sahel during the early 21st century. Burkina Faso suffered a lot of unrest during the 2010s. Several major insurgent attacks occurred in the

landlocked A landlocked country is a country that has no territory connected to an ocean or whose coastlines lie solely on endorheic basins. Currently, there are 44 landlocked countries, two of them doubly landlocked (Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan), and t ...

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

n country during the latter part of that decade. Most attacks occur near the country's borders with

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

and And or AND may refer to: Logic, grammar and computing * Conjunction, connecting two words, phrases, or clauses * Logical conjunction in mathematical logic, notated as "∧", "⋅", "&", or simple juxtaposition * Bitwise AND, a Boolean oper ...

Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...

. However, major attacks occurred in

Ouagadougou Ouagadougou or Wagadugu (, , , ) is the capital city of Burkina Faso, and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation. It is also the List of cities in Burkina Faso#Largest cities, country's largest city, wi ...

in 2016,

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, and 2018. The insurgency continued into the 2020s, including two fatal attacks on 26 April 2021. In the Est Region, two Spanish journalists and an Irish conservationist were killed and a

Burkinabé soldier The Burkina Faso Armed Forces () are the military of Burkina Faso. The service branches of the armed forces include its Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie and People's Militia. Being a landlocked country, Burkina Faso has no navy. History In ...

went missing when their

anti-poaching Anti-poaching is the organised act to counter the poaching of wildlife. However, it is generally used to describe an overall effort against the illegal wildlife trade. The act of anti-poaching is normally carried out by national parks on public ...

patrol was

ambush An ambush is a surprise attack carried out by people lying in wait in a concealed position. The concealed position itself or the concealed person(s) may also be called an "". Ambushes as a basic military tactics, fighting tactic of soldi ...

ed. In the Sahel Region, 18 people were killed in the massacre at Yattakou village.

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 Komondjari is one of the 45 provinces of Burkina Faso The regions of Burkina Faso are divided into 45 administrative provinces. These 45 provinces are currently sub-divided into 351 Departments of Burkina Faso, departments or communes. List ...

near the border with

, with a population mainly from the Gurma ethnic group. 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. 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 Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency ...

programme which is fighting against the Islamists.

References

{{reflist 2021 fires in Africa 2021 mass shootings in Africa 2021 murders in Burkina Faso 21st-century mass murder in Burkina Faso Arson in Burkina Faso Arson in 2021 Attacks on buildings and structures in 2021 Attacks on buildings and structures in Burkina Faso Islamic terrorist incidents in 2021 Komondjari Province Mass shootings in Burkina Faso Mass murder in 2021 May 2021 crimes in Africa Terrorist incidents in Burkina Faso in 2021 Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso

Background

Attack

See also

References