Suspected Islamic militants attacked near the West African nation’s border with Mali on Monday, wounding at least two people as they said they were targeting Christians, a witness and a security official said.
Witness Alassane Hamidou told Associated Press that he had gone to a police station in Oursi about 50km from the Mali border; when he knocked on the door, three masked gunmen inside told him to lie down on the ground.
“There are no police here now – it is Boko Haram from now on,” the assailants said, according to Hamidou. “We are looking for Christians – and you are spared because you are a Muslim.”
Even though the attackers mentioned Boko Haram it’s not known whether they had any connection to the Nigeria-based group. Such a claim is unusual in Burkina, which has largely been spared the jihadi violence destabilizing nearby countries. However, a Romanian security officer working at a mine in Burkina Faso was kidnapped nearly five months ago.
Source: Associated Press