| Kodyel attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of theIslamist insurgency in Burkina Faso | |
 Interactive map of Kodyel attack | |
| Location | 12°48′7″N1°10′4″E / 12.80194°N 1.16778°E /12.80194; 1.16778 Kodyel,Foutouri,Burkina Faso |
| Date | 3 May 2021 |
Attack type | Arson,mass shooting |
| Deaths | 30 |
| Injured | 20 |
| Perpetrator | 100+Islamists |
| Motive | Islamic extremism, revenge for aid in battle againstinsurgency |
On 3 May 2021,Islamic militants attacked Kodyel, a village inFoutouri,Burkina Faso.[1] The attack left at least 30 people dead and another 20 injured.[2]
An Islamistinsurgency spread throughout the Sahel during the early 21st century. Burkina Faso suffered a lot of unrest during the 2010s. Several major insurgent attacks occurred in thelandlockedWest African country during the latter part of that decade. Most attacks occur near the country'sborders withMaliandNiger. However, major attacks occurred inOuagadougouin 2016,2017,and 2018. The insurgency continued into the 2020s, including two fatal attacks on 26 April 2021.[3] In theEst Region, two Spanish journalists and an Irishconservationist were killed and aBurkinabé soldier went missing when theiranti-poaching patrol wasambushed.[3] In the Sahel Region, 18 people were killed in themassacre at Yattakou village.[3]
Over 100 heavily armed militants on motorcycles and pick-up trucks stormed the village of Koydel in Foutori, a department in Burkina Faso located inKomondjari Province near the border withNiger, with a population mainly from theGurma ethnic group.[3] The attackers initiallyburned homes and other buildings. Residents exited the buildings after they were set on fire and smoke was increasing; the attackers thenopened fire, killing several people at the scene.[4] Survivors then escaped, and the perpetrators opened fire again, killing and wounding many more people. At least 30 civilians were killed and at least 20 more wounded. Children were among the casualties. The village was empty in the immediate aftermath of the attack, as the residents who survived had fled to nearby towns. The attack is one of the deadliest inBurkina Faso's modern history. The assault is suspected to be a revenge as the village recently provided fighters to avolunteer programme which is fighting against the Islamists.[5]