Twelve Ivorian soldiers were killed early this morning and six others wounded in a jihadist attack on the border checkpoint of Kafolo, between Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso. This is the second of such attacks recorded in the country.

Two gendarmes are also missing. The information was given to Reuters by a senior member of the staff of the Armed Forces of Côte d'Ivoire (FACI).

“There was an attack on the Kafolo post at the border area with Burkina Faso, in the same area where the anti-Jihadist operation was carried out a few days ago,” the senior officer said.

On 11 May, Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso launched their first joint anti-jihadist operation, mobilizing about 1,000 soldiers on the Ivorian side. A total of eight suspected terrorists were killed in the operation, while 38 others were arrested, including 24 in Burkina Faso and 14 in Côte d'Ivoire.

This new attack is the second of its kind recorded in Côte d'Ivoire after the attack on the seaside resort of Grand-Bassam in 2016. Claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the attack left around 19 people dead.