Ouagadougou | Two women were killed on Tuesday by the explosion of an artisanal device as their cart passed by in northern Burkina Faso facing jihadist attacks, AFP learned from local sources on Wednesday.
“The cart in which they were jumped on a homemade explosive device” in Yagha province, a local elected official told AFP who requested anonymity.
Killed instantly, the victims were people displaced by insecurity who had returned to their locality, according to this elected official.
Another person was also “slightly injured” by the same explosion, said a hospital source, confirming the deaths of the two women.
“The incident took place around 4 pm” (GMT and local), said a security source, stressing that a second device exploded not far from there without causing any casualties.
Burkina Faso, particularly the northern and eastern regions, is facing jihadist attacks that have left more than 1,200 dead and more than a million displaced since 2015.
The attacks with improvised explosive devices (IED) which have been on the rise since 2018 have claimed the lives of nearly 200 people – civilians and soldiers -, according to an AFP count. These attacks are often coupled with ambushes.