OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) -An attack on a military detachment in east Burkina Faso on Thursday left 33 soldiers dead and 12 injured, the military-led government said, the latest bout of violence in a country locked in fighting against a jihadist insurgency.
The attack on Thursday morning targeted the military detachment of Ougarou, in Burkina Faso’s Est Region.
The army said in a statement that the besieged soldiers killed at least 40 “terrorists” before reinforcements arrived.
Burkina Faso is one of several West African nations battling a violent Islamist insurgency that has spread from neighbouring Mali over the past decade, killing thousands and displacing over 2 million.
Violence in the country has spiraled in recent months as authorities have struggled to regain ground despite boosting security operations.
Armed forces have meanwhile also been accused of indiscriminately killing civilians during anti-insurgency missions.
Men dressed in army uniforms killed at least 150 people during a raid on a village in northern Burkina Faso last week, according to the United Nations.
The military government condemned the attack earlier on Thursday and said it would investigate the events.
Frustrations over the authorities’ failure to protect civilians spurred two coups last year.
(Reporting by Thiam NdiagaWriting by Sofia ChristensenEditing by Chris Reese and Sandra Maler)