Earth Science News  
AFRICA NEWS
About 10 dead in jihadist attack on I.Coast border post
By Aly OUATTARA with Patrick FORT in Abidjan
Korhogo, Ivory Coast (AFP) June 11, 2020

Suspected jihadists attacked an army frontier post on Ivory Coast's border with Burkina Faso overnight, killing around 10 people, the military said on Thursday.

It is the first assault by Islamist extremists on Ivorian soil since March 2016, when a raid on the southeastern beach resort of Grand-Bassam left 19 people dead.

Dozens of gunmen targeted the frontier post at Kafolo in northeastern Ivory Coast in a pre-dawn operation, an Ivorian security source said.

Giving a provisional toll, armed forces chief of staff Lassina Doumbia said "around 10" people were killed at the post, which was manned by army personnel and gendarmes, while six were wounded and an attacker was "neutralised".

"Investigations are under way to determine the nature, circumstances and final toll of this attack," Doumbia said in a statement.

"In the meantime, urgent steps have been taken in the area, in particular placing all troops on alert and carrying out search operations for the assailants."

Ivorian and Burkinabe sources earlier put the toll at 10 and 12 dead respectively, and both said two people were listed as missing and an assailant killed.

"This is a terrorist attack. We had information about this threat of drug traffickers allied to terrorists to gain access to a port area," Defence Minister Hamed Bakayoko said as he greeted the wounded at Abidjan airport at the end of the day.

The army will conduct air raids in the coming days and will "strengthen our presence around the frontier", he said.

"The response will be proportionate to the attack," he said.

- 'Hiding in our houses' -

"There were sounds of rifles toward the river," an anonymous Kafolo resident said in a telephone interview.

"There were sounds of military cars speeding through the village. We are afraid. The sounds of guns have been going on since early this morning. And it's still going on."

"We are hiding in the houses with our families. The military has forbidden us to go out. Everything is closed," he said, adding that residents are normally in the fields growing cotton and peanuts in the arid area.

The attack, launched at around 3am, was carried out by dozens of armed individuals believed to be from the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM), which has a hold on the area, according to a source in Burkina Faso.

Security analysts have long worried that a jihadist revolt in the Sahel that began in Mali in 2012 is spreading towards coastal states on the Gulf of Guinea.

Ivory Coast shares a 550-kilometre (340-mile) border with Burkina Faso, where jihadist violence has claimed nearly 1,000 lives and forced 860,000 people from their homes over the past five years.

- Anti-jihadist operation -

The latest attack took place in the same zone where the two countries last month launched a ground-breaking joint operation to flush out jihadists.

"Operation Comoe," named after a river that flows through the two countries, led to the death of eight suspected jihadists, the capture of 38 others and the destruction of a "terrorist base" at Alidougou in Burkina Faso, the Ivory Coast army said on May 24.

The operation was launched after jihadists were spotted last year to the north of Ivory Coast's Comoe national park.

Security sources say they are jihadists operating in Burkina Faso who hole up in Ivory Coast.

The Grand-Bassam attack four years ago was claimed by Al-Qaeda's North African affiliate, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

It targeted civilians on hotel terraces in the resort, in contrast with the latest attack which aimed at a border post manned by the military and police.

Jihadist violence, often intertwined with inter-communal violence, resulted in 4,000 deaths in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso in 2019, according to the United Nations.


Related Links
Africa News - Resources, Health, Food


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


AFRICA NEWS
Clean cold experts explore how people in Africa can access COVID-19 vaccine
Birmingham UK (SPX) Jun 09, 2020
Scientists are launching a key study to help African nations prepare for the sustainable distribution of an eventual COVID-19 vaccine. Mass, rapid COVID-19 vaccination will be an immense challenge for sub-Saharan Africa countries with significant rural populations and existing cold-chain infrastructure will need to be significantly improved if a vaccine is to reach the people who need it. Working with the United Nations Environment Program - United for Efficiency team, researchers from the U ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

AFRICA NEWS
Just Eat Takeaway.com nears deal for meal delivery firm Grubhub

Tragic yarn: India-China border spat hits global cashmere production

Eight killed in Indian pesticide factory blast

Ancient burial site in Belize reveals when people started eating maize

AFRICA NEWS
Uproar as Uganda pursues plan to dam waterfall in national park

Senegal rejects dozens of foreign trawler permits

Egypt accuses Ethiopia of holding it "hostage" in Nile dam talks

Ethiopia seeks to limit outsiders' role in Nile dam talks

AFRICA NEWS
Warmest May on record, Siberia 10C hotter

Reflecting sunlight to cool the planet will cause other global changes

Montreal breaks May temperature record as heatwave grips Canada

COP26 climate talks pushed back to November 2021

AFRICA NEWS
Renewables booming but not enough to meet climate targets: UN

Adani Green Energy wins the world's largest solar deal

Nature provides roadmap to potential breakthroughs in solar energy technology

Aberdeen Standard Investments and R.POWER set a new record with the largest solar transaction in Poland

AFRICA NEWS
Water vapor in the atmosphere may be prime renewable energy source

Engineers find neat way to turn waste carbon dioxide into useful material

ETW Energietechnik supplies the biomethane upgrading technology for a 45 km biogas grid

Renewable fuel from carbon dioxide with the aid of solar energy

AFRICA NEWS
Parking in a pandemic

Facebook blocks white nationalists organizing move on protests

China says US protests show 'chronic disease' of racism

Virus misinformation fuels panic in Asia

AFRICA NEWS
ULEMCo delivers another hydrogen vehicle first

NGO accuses France of starting Mozambique 'climate bomb'

Two dead as fire rages after India gas well blowout

Turkey blocked EU embargo check on ship near Libya

AFRICA NEWS
US-China trade deal 'impacted' by coronavirus

China's street vendors rush to sell despite mixed messages

Equities sink after Fed's sober outlook, second wave fears

Stocks track US rout as rally hits roadblock, second virus wave appears









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.