| Gorgadji massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of theJihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso | |
 Interactive map of Gorgadji massacre | |
| Location | nearGorgadji Department,Seno Province,Burkina Faso |
| Date | 18 August 2021 |
| Deaths | 80+
|
| Injured | ~30 |
| Perpetrators | Unknown |
On August 18, 2021, unknown jihadists attacked a civilian convoy and its military patrol nearGorgadji, Burkina Faso, killing at least 80 people, 59 of whom were civilians. Dozens of jihadists were killed in a retaliatory attack by the Burkinabe government.
Since 2019, northern Burkina Faso has been embroiled in two jihadist insurgencies by theIslamic State in the Greater Sahara andJama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin, both predominantly-Fulani organizations that attack civilians along ethnic and religious lines.[1] The Burkinabe government has increased efforts to combat the insurgencies by recruiting civilian militias known as theVolunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), although Burkinabe forces and VDP have been accused of killing Fulani civilians en masse.[2] In early April 2021, jihadists killed ten VDP inGorgadji,Séno Province.[1]
The attack was carried out on a civilian convoy guarded by Burkinabe military patrols, and took place around 25 kilometers from Gorgadji, near the borders of Niger and Mali.[3][4] A statement by the Burkinabe government mentioned that the civilians were headed toArbinda when they were attacked.[4] Six VDP militiamen, fifteen gendarmes, and fifty-nine civilians were killed in the massacre, according to the Burkinabe government.[5] The Burkinabe government also stated that between 58 and 80 jihadists were killed in retaliatory attacks with others fleeing, but this could not be confirmed.[5] Around thirty people were wounded in the jihadist attack as well.[6]
The Burkinabe government decreed a period of national mourning for three days following the attack.[6]
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