Medical and Hospital News
AFRICA NEWS
Army convoy brings food to blockaded Burkina city
Army convoy brings food to blockaded Burkina city
by AFP Staff Writers
Ouagadougou (AFP) March 22, 2023

An army convoy has delivered desperately-needed supplies to a northern Burkina Faso city that has been blockaded by jihadists for months, locals and security sources told AFP Wednesday.

Jihadists have dynamited bridges and mounted deadly attacks against previous supply convoys headed to the cut-off city of Djibo, leaving its people destitute.

But a security source told AFP that a convoy arrived on Tuesday after a three-week trek, braving roadside bombs and ambushes in which more than two dozen civilians, soldiers and jihadists died.

"A hundred trucks filled with food and basic necessities were able to reach Djibo yesterday under military escort," the source said.

Djibo resident Amsatou Dicko, speaking to AFP by phone, confirmed the arrival.

"There have been songs of joy in the town since this morning," she said. "Life has returned!"

Shops and the market have reopened, she said.

"We are going to be able to get supplies for a few days, even though prices are high."

One of the world's poorest nations, Burkina Faso is battling an insurgency that spilled over from neighbouring Mali in 2015.

More than 10,000 civilians, troops and police have been killed, according to one NGO estimate, and at least two million people have been displaced.

Djibo has become a regional hub for internally displaced people, with its population tripling to an estimated 300,000 people.

The trucks left the northwestern city of Kongoussi on February 28, a security official said.

But progress over the 95-kilometre (59-mile) route was slowed by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and jihadist attacks.

Another security source told AFP that 15 IEDs had been defused along the way, and that the convoy had suffered ambushes.

Six soldiers, two civilians and 20 jihadists were killed, several sources said.

On the way, the convoy was able to resupply the blockaded town of Bourzanga on March 12

Idrissa Badini, a spokesman for civil society groups in Soum province, said it had been more than five months since Djibo had been supplied by land.

"There were small supplies by air, but the quantities were not enough for the hundreds of thousands of people," he said.

An earlier convoy had been forced to turn back in January, he said.

According to the United Nations, dozens of places in Burkina Faso face conditions similar to those in Djibo.

Jihadists effectively control about 40 percent of the country, according to official figures.

Anger within the military at failures to roll back the offensive led to two coups last year.

Related Links
Africa News - Resources, Health, Food

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
AFRICA NEWS
The TPLF: party at the heart of Ethiopia's war
Addis Ababa (AFP) March 22, 2023
From rebels to rulers, dominating government for decades before losing power and returning to the battlefield, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) has shaped Ethiopia's history for decades. Following the decision by Ethiopia's parliament to delist the TPLF as a terrorist organisation, here is a brief history of the group: - Underground years - The TPLF emerged in February 1975 from a feverish and radical student movement which shook an imperial Ethiopia in the 1960s and 70s. Bor ... read more

AFRICA NEWS
UN's global disaster alert systems goal faces uphill climb

Donors vow 7 bn euros for Turkey, Syria quake aid

Natural disasters, inflation upped insurers' costs in 2022: Swiss Re

UN 'survival guide' report an urgent warning on climate

AFRICA NEWS
Adtran and Satelles partner to deliver Satellite Time and Location alternative to GNSS

GMV will develop the future Galileo Second Generation capabilities

Telit Cinterion adds Dual-Band GNSS Positioning to AIROHA AG3335 Chipsets

Monogoto teams with Skylo and SODAQ to deliver NB-IoT satellite asset tracking

AFRICA NEWS
Vast cemetery in Iraq echoes 14 centuries of life and death

In Old Cairo, residents reconnect with their heritage

Back to the time of the first Homo Sapiens with a futuristic clock, the new Radiocarbon 3.0

Iraq dig uncovers 5,000 year old pub restaurant

AFRICA NEWS
Biden protects two giant US wilderness areas

Vietnam seizes seven tonnes of ivory from Angola

Their time to slime: who will be 'Mollusc of the Year'?

UK trophy hunting bill irks African conservationists

AFRICA NEWS
WHO warns Cyclone Freddy raising 'major' health risks

China approves first domestic mRNA vaccine for Covid-19

Malawi says cholera crisis risks worsening after Cyclone Freddy

Doctor who exposed China's 2003 SARS cover-up dies at 91

AFRICA NEWS
Blinken seeks US funds for UN culture agency to counter China

Hong Kong asylum seekers fear deportation under tightened policy

US arrests Chinese tycoon who backed Trump advisor Bannon

Honduras to establish diplomatic ties with China

AFRICA NEWS
People smugglers use TikTok to promote their services

Colombia's Petro accuses Gulf Clan cartel of breaking ceasefire

Ecuadoran soldier killed in clash with drug traffickers

US designates Russia's Wagner military group an intl 'criminal organization'

AFRICA NEWS
Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.