At least 20 people were killed on Saturday in an attack on the northern town of Titao, Burkina Faso, according to regional and security reports. The assault has been claimed by JNIM, an Islamist group affiliated with al-Qaeda. Among the dead are seven Ghanaians who were travelling as part of a tomato trading convoy, Ghana’s Interior Minister Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak confirmed. He said the victims were burned beyond recognition and have not yet been formally identified.
The traders were attacked while transporting tomatoes in a supply truck, which witnesses and a drivers’ association say was set ablaze by militants. Ghanaian officials said access roads to the area remain blocked, preventing embassy staff from reaching the scene or assisting survivors. The attack is part of a broader surge in violence in northern and eastern Burkina Faso over the past several days. While the country’s military authorities have not released an official death toll, an army spokesperson, Abdoul Aziz Ouedraogo, said government forces had repelled multiple attacks and killed several dozen militants.
Witnesses in Titao told local sources that the attackers split into groups, targeting a military camp, communications infrastructure and commercial vehicles. Security sources quoted by AFP said the Titao military base considered one of the best-equipped in the country was partially overrun, though this has not been independently confirmed. Reports also cited a separate assault on an army unit in the nearby town of Nare. Earlier in the week, suspected militants reportedly seized control of Bilanga in eastern Burkina Faso, killing at least 18 soldiers, highlighting the widening reach of insurgent violence.
Ghanaian authorities said they are coordinating with officials in Ouagadougou to arrange burials and evacuate survivors. Burkina Faso has offered military support to help create a secure corridor for the safe transfer of injured and unharmed Ghanaians. Trader associations say the incident underscores long-standing concerns about the safety of cross-border traders, who regularly travel into conflict-hit areas to supply food markets in Ghana.
