A passenger bus detonated a land mine in eastern Burkina Faso on Christmas Day, killing at least 10 people and injuring five others, according to a government statement on Monday. The bus was traveling from Fada N’Gourma, some 220 km (136 miles) from the capital Ouagadougou, to the border town of Kantchari, near neighboring Niger.
Colonel Hubert Yameogo, the regional governor, said the bus was traveling near the town of Bougui on Sunday afternoon when it hit the mine.
The injured were taken to the Fada N’Gourma hospital, Yameogo reported. However, the rest of the bus passengers disappeared. The government is trying to find the missing.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. The incident occurred in an area where the government is fighting al Qaeda-linked insurgents in North Africa and Islamic State fighters.
These insurgents control large chunks of territory in Burkina Faso. Raids and blockades of various cities in the northern and eastern regions of the country have been commonplace since 2015, killing more than 2,000 people and displacing nearly two million.
Violence linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIL has plagued the country for more than six years. The government has been unable to end the violence, leading to two coups this year alone as military leaders vow to make the country safer for the people.
The attack comes after another mine exploded in the east, between the villages of Ougarou and Matiacoali, injuring five soldiers.
(With contributions from agencies)
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