At least seven Ghanaians were among over 20 people killed on Saturday in the northern Burkina Faso town of Titao, in a series of coordinated attacks claimed by JNIM, an Islamist group with links to al-Qaeda.
The victims were part of a group of tomato traders whose vehicle was set ablaze during the assault, Ghana’s Interior Minister Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak confirmed.
The minister described the Ghanaians as “burnt beyond recognition,” and said their identities remain unknown. Roadblocks and ongoing insecurity in the area have prevented Ghanaian officials from reaching survivors or visiting the scene.
Efforts to evacuate the remaining citizens have been slowed, highlighting the dangerous conditions for cross-border traders in the region.
Burkina Faso has seen a wave of attacks across its northern and eastern regions over the past four days. Military leaders, who assumed power promising to curb jihadist violence, have not published an official death toll for the latest attacks, though they insist the situation is under control.
“Multiple attacks took place on Saturday in the north of the country. Our forces demonstrated valour and professionalism, inflicting a heavy defeat on the terrorists and neutralising several dozen of them,” said Lt Col Abdoul Aziz Ouedraogo on state-run RTB. He added that the assaults followed recent military operations in the north and Sahel, which forced militants to move westward.
Witnesses said the Titao attack was carried out in three coordinated waves. One group struck the town’s military camp, another destroyed telecommunications infrastructure, and a third looted shops and burnt supply trucks.
AFP sources reported that hundreds of armed jihadists overran the Titao camp and attacked a military unit in the northern town of Nare, though the government has not verified these claims.
Titao’s military base is considered one of the best equipped in the country, making the assault particularly alarming. Only two days earlier, suspected JNIM fighters reportedly captured Bilanga in eastern Burkina Faso, killing 18 soldiers, according to French broadcaster RFI.
Minister Mubarak said Ghanaian authorities are coordinating with Burkinabè officials for the burial of the victims, as embassy personnel are unable to travel to Titao.
“The women who sustained minor to no injuries have been asked to witness the burial of the dead to capture and document the process,” he said, noting that the bodies had already started decomposing.
Burkinabè military support will be used to ensure a secure route to evacuate survivors. “They will create a safe passage to move the unharmed women and the injured to our mission in Ouagadougou after the burial,” the minister added.
The tomato and onion traders’ association said the attackers torched the supply truck after the driver reportedly tried to seek cover. Eric Tuffour, representing the association, warned that incidents like this highlight the severe risks traders face while transporting vegetables across borders for sale in Ghana.
