Ouagadougou: According to the governor of the Boucle du Mouhoun region, at least 33 people were killed when armed assailants opened fire on vegetable farmers in Burkina Faso.

Since March, the majority of the nation has been under a state of emergency as the government attempts to stop jihadist attacks, including parts of the western Boucle du Mouhoun region.

Governor Babo Pierre Bassinga issued a statement saying, "On the evening of Thursday, May 11, at around 5:00 p.m. (1700 GMT), the village of Youlou in the department of Cheriba, Mouhoun province, suffered from a cowardly and barbaric terrorist attack."

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He added that the "provisional death toll" stood at 33 dead, adding that "the gunmen targeted peaceful civilians" who were farming along the river.

Local sources confirmed the existence of heavily armed, indiscriminately firing motorbike assailants. On Friday, the victims were laid to rest.

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People in Cheriba also claimed that three other people were hurt in the attack and that the perpetrators had set property on fire before opening fire.
The governor claimed that local security was being improved.

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A jihadist insurgency that began in Mali in 2015 has been waging war in Burkina Faso, which experienced two military coups in 2022.

Captain Ibrahim Traore, the interim leader of Burkina Faso since the September 30 coup, has set a target of retaking 40% of the nation's territory from jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda and the Daesh organisation.

According to the NGOs, the violence has resulted in the deaths of over 10,000 people—both civilians and members of the military—and the displacement of two million people.