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- Armed men killed six people and wounded seven others in an attack on a convoy of vehicles returning from a gold mine in eastern Burkina Faso
- According to authorities, the attack occurred around 13:30 GMT on Sunday, on a stretch of road between Sakoani and Matiacoali
- Islamic State and al Qaeda operate in the region and frequently carry out similar attacks, but none have yet claimed responsibility
- In November 2019, the mine was put on hold for almost a year after 39 people were killed and 60 others were wounded in an attack on a convoy of employees
- Islamist violence in the borderlands of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso has killed thousands of civilians and displaced millions since 2018
Armed men killed six people and wounded seven others in an attack on a convoy of vehicles returning from a gold mine owned by Endeavour Mining in eastern Burkina Faso.
According to local authorities, the convoy of empty fuel trucks the gendarmes — law enforcers among the civilian population — were protecting was ambushed at around 13:30 GMT on Sunday, on a stretch of road between Sakoani and Matiacoali.
Groups with links to Islamic State and al Qaeda operate in the region and frequently carry out similar attacks, but none have yet claimed responsibility.
“The ambush began with the detonation of an improvised explosive device as the convoy passed, followed by heavy gunfire,” the gendarmerie said.
The tankers were travelling from the Boungou mine, which is 90 per cent owned and operated by London and Toronto-listed Endeavour Mining. The Government of Burkina Faso owns the remaining 10 per cent.
Construction of the mine — owned at the time by SEMAFO, which was acquired by Endeavour in July 2020 — began in 2017, with the first gold poured in June 2018 before production began in September the same year.
In November 2019, however, the mine was put on a care and maintenance schedule for almost a year after 39 people were killed and 60 others were wounded in an attack on a convoy carrying employees.
ASX-listed mining services provider Perenti Global said 19 of its employees were among those killed in the incident, which led the company to drop a number of major contracts in the country.
“The attack near Boungou was unprecedented and has prompted the company to re-assess where and how it is prepared to operate,” Perenti’s Managing Director Mark Norwell said at the time.
Despite the presence of thousands of United Nations, Western and local troops, Islamist violence in the borderlands of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso has killed thousands of civilians and displaced millions since 2018.
Last month, Islamist militants raided a civilian convoy in northern Burkina Faso, killing 80 people, while gunmen injured one person two weeks ago in an attack on a convoy travelling to TSX-listed Iamgold’s Essakane mine near the border with Niger.
