60 killed in Burkina Faso ‘by men in Army uniform’

About 60 civilians were killed in a village in northern Burkina Faso by men wearing military uniforms, the local prosecutor said late Sunday, announcing an investigation into the latest bloodshed in the insurgency-hit country.

Landlocked and in the heart of West Africa’s Sahel, the country is one of the world’s most volatile and impoverished.

Attacks blamed on suspected jihadists are on the rise in Burkina Faso, which is battling an insurgency that spilled over from neighbouring Mali.

“About 60 people were killed by people wearing the uniforms of our national armed forces” on Thursday in the village of Karma, in northern Yatenga province, Ouahigouya High Court prosecutor Lamine Kabore told AFP in a statement, citing the gendarmerie.

“The wounded have been evacuated and are currently being taken care of within our health facilities,” he said, adding that the perpetrators had “taken various goods”.

The village of Karma is near the Malian border and attracts many illegal gold miners.

According to residents contacted by AFP, survivors said more than 100 people on motorbikes and pick-up trucks raided the village.

Dozens of men and young people were killed by the men, dressed in military uniforms, they said.

Survivors gave a toll of “around 80 dead”.