Thirty-seven civilians were killed and more than 60 wounded in an attack by an unidentified gunman on a convoy transporting workers of Canadian gold miner Semafo in eastern Burkina Faso, regional authorities said on Wednesday.
The attack took place between Semafo’s Fada and Boungou mine sites, about 40 kilometres from Boungou, the company said earlier.
A Semafo spokesman said five buses escorted by the military were approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Boungou gold mine in the Tapoa province when they were ambushed. A security source said “a military vehicle that was escorting the convoy hit an explosive device”.”Two buses carrying workers were then fired upon,” the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Wednesday’s assault was the third deadly attack in 15 months against Semafo, which also operates a second mine in Burkina Faso.
So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the incident but Islamic extremists have attacked dozens of churches and public officials in Burkina Faso over the last several years.
