Suspected jihadists target strategic town as violence escalates.

A weekend attack by suspected jihadists on the strategic northern town of Titao in Burkina Faso killed about 10 civilians, including seven Ghanaians, according to officials and local sources.

Although the army said it repelled the assault on Saturday, local and security sources estimate that at least 20 people were killed in jihadist attacks across the country between Thursday and Sunday.

Burkina Faso has battled insurgent violence for more than a decade from groups linked to the Islamic State and Al Qaeda. Despite a 2022 military coup that promised to restore security, attacks have continued across large parts of the country.

Residents said the attackers stormed Titao, the capital of Louroum province, and targeted a military detachment stationed there. Civilians, including traders and truck drivers who had come for market day, were among the victims. Several shops and trucks were set ablaze.

CBI News reports that Ghana’s interior minister told local radio that seven Ghanaian tomato sellers were killed in the attack and that their bodies were burned beyond recognition.

The Burkinabe army said it had repelled the assault, accusing the attackers of setting the market on fire to produce propaganda videos.

The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, known as JNIM and linked to Al Qaeda, later claimed responsibility for the attack on Titao and for other assaults on military bases in recent days.

According to conflict monitoring group ACLED, Burkina Faso’s insurgency has killed tens of thousands of civilians and soldiers since 2015, with more than half of the deaths occurring in the past three years.