// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the Sorghum plant say during a Sorgha attack? "We're in a grain crisis.
| Sorgha attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso | |
| Location | Sorgha, Bogande Department, Gnagna Province, Est Region, Burkina Faso |
| Date | July 5, 2023 |
| Target | Civilians |
| Deaths | 15 |
| Injured | Unknown |
| Perpetrator |  Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin |
On July 5, 2023, militants suspected to be from Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) attacked the village of Sorgha, Gnagna Province, Burkina Faso, killing at least 15 civilians.
Background
[edit]Violence by jihadist groups increased exponentially since the September 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état that overthrew putschist Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who came to power in a coup that January.[1] Much of the violence was caused by the al-Qaeda-aligned Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin and its affiliates in Burkina Faso and the Islamic State – Sahil Province, which have besieged towns and launched deadly attacks on Burkinabe soldiers and pro-government militiamen.[2]
A week prior to the Sorgha attack, JNIM killed over 33 Burkinabe militiamen at Noaka, and another 34 at Namssiguia.[3]
Attack
[edit]Early on the morning of July 5, suspected JNIM militants on motorcycles entered the village of Sorgha and began shooting at residents.[4][5] The jihadists torched houses, granaries, and shops in the village before fleeing.[6] Several people injured in the attack were evacuated to a hospital in Bogandé.[6] After the attack, residents of Sorgha and the neighboring village of Nindangou began fleeing en masse to Bogande and other cities, in fear of another jihadist attack.[6] The Burkinabe government said that "security operations are underway".[4]
At least 15 people were killed in the attack, according to local and Burkinabe government sources.[6] Women were among the dead.[7] The number of injured civilians is unknown.[6]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Militant Islamist Group Violence Engulfs Burkina Faso" (PDF). Africa Center for Strategic Studies. August 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
- ↑ "The juntas dig in as instability worsens". www.africa-confidential.com. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
- ↑ "Crisis Watch: July Alerts and June Trends 2023". International Crisis Group. July 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
- 1 2 "Burkina Faso : Plusieurs civils tués dans une attaque terroriste dans l'est du pays – Sahel Intelligence". sahel-intelligence.com. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- ↑ "TRAC Incident Report: Suspected Jama'a Nusrat al-Islam wa ul-Muslimin (JNIM) Armed Assault, Killing 15, Kidnapping Others in Sorgha, Bogandé Department, Gnagna Province, Est Region, Burkina Faso - 05 July 2023". TRAC. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Une quinzaine de civils tués dans une attaque de jihadistes présumés au Burkina Faso". France 24 (in French). 2023-07-06. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- ↑ "Civilians Killed in Burkina Faso in Suspected Militant Attack". Voice of America. 2023-07-05. Retrieved 2026-04-14.