At least 37 dead in attack on Canadian mining convoy in Burkina Faso

Gunmen ambushed five buses carrying workers for a Canadian gold mining company in an attack near a mine in Burkina Faso. It is the third deadly attack on the company in 15 months.

At least 37 civilians are dead and more than 60 are wounded after gunmen attacked a convoy of local employees working for the Canadian gold mining company Semafo in Burkina Faso on Wednesday morning. 

Five buses and a military escort were ambushed approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) from a gold mine in Boungou in the eastern part of the country.

Local sources said the attack began when an improvised explosive device struck a military vehicle in the convoy. Gunmen opened fire shortly after. 

The convoy suffered “several fatalities and injuries”, the company said in a statement, adding that operations at the mine were not affected. The death toll, which does not include security personnel, is expected to mount.

It is the third such attack on Semafo, who runs two mines in the country, in Burkina Faso in the last 15 months. Vehicles on their way to the mines were victims of a similar deadly attack in August last year, while a police vehicle was targeted in December. 

The country is among the world’s poorest nations, with a fragile political system and poorly equipped security forces. 

Northern Burkina Faso has served as a haven for Islamist extremist crossing the border from Mali.   

More information to follow…

Source: Reuters