On 24 December 2019, a large group of militants on motorcycles attacked civilians and a military base in Arbinda, Soum Province, Burkina Faso. The attack and subsequent battle lasted several hours, resulting in the deaths of 35 civilians, 7 soldiers and 80 attackers.[1] The attack was one of Burkina Faso's deadliest. A 48-hour state of mourning was declared after the attack.[2]
| Arbinda attack | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso, Islamist insurgency in the Sahel and Insurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Burkina Faso |  Islamic State of the Great Sahara | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | 200 - 300 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 7 killed 17 wounded | 30 - 80 killed | ||||||
| 35 civilians killed | |||||||
Attack
The militants first attacked a military outpost in northern Soum Province near Arbinda, killing 7 soldiers. The attack was eventually repelled by security forces. Around 80 attackers were killed during the clashes.[3]
At the same time, dozens of attackers on motorcycles stormed into Arbinda, killing 35 civilians. The attackers supposedly targeted women, as 31 of the dead civilians were female.[1] The battle and attacks lasted several hours, until the militants were pushed back by the Burkina Faso Army with the help of its air force.[4]