OUAGADOUGOU, Dec 27, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - Ten passengers riding a bus died when 
their vehicle struck a mine in eastern Burkina Faso, the regional governor 
said on Monday.

The mini-bus hit a mine on a road near the village of Bougui on Sunday 
afternoon and the explosion killed 10 passengers, Colonel Hubert Yameogo said 
in a statement.

Five people were injured and taken to a hospital in Fada N'Gourma, the 
region's main town, while the toll could rise as other passengers are 
believed to be missing, he added.

A security source told AFP an improvised explosive device caused the deaths 
of "around 10 civilians", a toll corroborated by local sources in Fada 
N'Gourma.

"The victims are mainly women and children," said a resident of the town 
whose cousin died in the explosion.

The incident comes after an explosive device killed two soldiers on a road in 
northern Burkina Faso on Saturday, according to a security source.

The West African country has since 2015 been grappling with an insurgency led 
by jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group which has 
killed tens of thousands and displaced around two million people.

Attacks targeting the security forces and civilians have increased in recent 
months, especially in northern and eastern regions bordering Mali and Niger, 
which are also battling jihadists.

The head of Burkina Faso's ruling military junta, Captain Ibrahim Traore, has 
made recapturing jihadist-held territory a priority.

Anger at the government's failure to stem the jihadist attacks played a key 
role in two military coups in Burkina Faso this year.