Eight suspected terrorists were killed and 38 were captured in a joint military operation by Burkina Faso and the Ivory Coast along the shared border of the two countries. While 24 men were captured in Burkina Faso, a further 14 were caught in the Ivory Coast. They were handed over to the intelligence services in the countries where they were captured.
The Ivorian army said that a “terrorist base” was destroyed at Alidougou in Burkina Faso. During the operation, labelled ‘Operation Comoé’, soldiers “seized arms, ammunition, USB keys, and mobile phones”. The source from the Ivorian army headquarters went on to praise the “perfect coordination between the two armies”.
This was the first such joint operation by the two armies, and took place in the north-east of the Ivorian town of Ferkessedougou and in the south of Banfora in Burkina Faso. The operation was named ‘Operation Comoé’ due to the detection of armed militants to the north of Ivory Coast’s Comoé National Park over a year ago. In addition, the Comoé river flows between the two countries. Security forces determined that they were operating in Burkina Faso but “sheltering” in the Ivory Coast by using the national park as an “escape route”.
The region has become a hotbed for instability; attacks in southwestern Burkina Faso from January to April of this year have been twice as high than during the same period last year. Extremists affiliated with al-Qaeda’s Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) are active in the area. In fact, on Sunday a separate operation in the northern province of Soum in Burkina Faso killed 13 “jihadists”.
Since 2015, over 900 people have died in Burkina Faso as a direct result of terrorist violence. This latest act of cooperation, however, between demonstrates the fruits of cooperation. In fact, the region at large has multiple multilateral peacekeeping and anti-terrorism teams. For instance, the G5 Sahel coordinates counterterrorism measures between Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Chad. In addition, the African Union gathered in February to discuss joint measures on how to de-escalate violence in the continent.
Image Source: The Defense Post
8 Terrorists Killed, 38 Captured in Joint Operation by Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast
The Ivorian Army hailed the “perfect coordination between the two armies”.
May 26, 2020
