OUAGADOUGOU: Armed jihadists attacked a village school in eastern Burkina Faso, killing five teachers and a municipal worker, officials said Saturday.
Burkina Faso, a former French colony, has seen a surge in attacks blamed on radical Islamist groups – mainly the Ansarul Islam group and the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM) – in the last four years.
The latest attack happened on Friday evening at Maitaougou village in the Koulpelogo province, which has been targeted by extremists.
“Jihadists led an incursion into Maitaougou village... and killed five teachers,” a security source said.
“Four teachers died instantly in the attack, which took place at around 5:00 pm in the heart of the school, while a fifth succumbed to his injuries a few hours later.”
A municipal worker was also killed in the same area, several sources said.
Burkinabe President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said he firmly condemned “this cowardly and ignoble killing” and vowed to track down the perpetrators.
The attacks were initially concentrated in the north of the country, but then the capital Ouagadougou and other regions were targeted. Since 2015, about 350 people have dead in the violence, according to an AFP count.--AFP