Unidentified armed men killed four villagers and left one missing in northeastern Ivory Coast near the border with Burkina Faso, the army confirmed on Tuesday. It marks the country’s first deadly attack since 2021.
The assault struck the village of Difita, just two kilometres from the Burkinabè border, overnight from Sunday to Monday. Army chief of staff General Lassina Doumbia said the attackers set huts ablaze, stole livestock, and left a woman seriously injured by burns.
“The toll is four farmers killed, one resident missing, and several homes destroyed,” General Doumbia stated. The army deployed air and ground forces, but the assailants had fled before troops arrived.
Ivory Coast shares a 600-kilometre frontier with Burkina Faso, where jihadist groups operate across much of the territory. Though the motive remains unclear, the incursion raises fresh concerns over insecurity spilling into Ivorian territory.
Previous deadly incidents include a June 2020 raid in Kafolo that killed 14 soldiers and a March 2021 attack that left two more dead.
Defence Minister Tene Birahima Ouattara acknowledged earlier this month that security remains a challenge but insisted the situation is “worrying but under control.”
Relations between Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso remain tense, with both governments accusing each other of destabilisation efforts.