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Irish conservation worker among hostages ‘killed’ in Burkina Faso ambush – source

  • Alleged photos of the bodies now circulating on social media had not been formally identified as being those of the missing – says Burkina Faso government
  • Abduction occurred after armed individuals attacked a convoy of security forces and expatriates
  • Convoy are believed to have been creating a documentary
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Thiam Ndiaga

Three hostages, two Spanish citizens and an Irish national, abducted in Burkina Faso have died, two senior Burkina Faso security sources said on Tuesday.

Two Spanish sources with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed that the two Spaniards have died. The hostages were taken after an ambush on an anti-poaching patrol in eastern Burkina Faso on Monday.

The attackers struck during the day on a road leading to the vast forested reserve of Pama. Those believed to be abducted included a member of the Burkinabe armed forces, two Spanish citizens and an Irish national who worked for conservation organisations, two of the sources said.

The government of Burkina Faso said on Tuesday that four people - three foreigners and a Burkinabe national - were missing after armed individuals attacked a convoy of security forces and expatriates in an eastern region the previous day.

Earlier, security sources said the three foreigners had been found dead but in a statement the government said alleged photos of the bodies now circulating on social media had not been formally identified as being those of the missing.

Spain's foreign minister has said two of the bodies in the photos appear to be those of two Spanish journalists abducted while filming a documentary in the West African state, although authorities were awaiting final confirmation.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said yesterday it was "aware of the reports and is liaising closely with international partners regarding the situation on the ground."

Independent.ie has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs for further comment today.

Burkina Faso, like much of West Africa's Sahel region, faces a deepening security crisis as groups with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State carry out attacks on the army and civilians, despite help from French and U.N. forces.

The worsening violence has led to one of the world's fastest-growing displacement crises, the United Nations warned earlier in April.

The Sahel now hosts nearly three million refugees and people displaced inside their own country.

The insurgents are believed to be holding a number of foreign hostages in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

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