By Emmanuel Bruce
ACCRA, Feb 16 (Reuters) – Seven Ghanaian tomato traders were killed when Islamist insurgents attacked the town of Titao in northern Burkina Faso on Saturday, Ghana’s interior minister has said.
The victims were among a group of 18 traders who had entered Ghana’s northern neighbour to buy tomatoes when the militants stormed the town, separating men from women before opening fire, the minister told a local radio station.
“They went on a shooting spree, killing almost all the males there, burning them together with the truck,” Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka said on Monday, adding that the bodies were burnt beyond recognition.
Three men and one woman from the group survived with injuries. The remaining seven women escaped unharmed.
The minister said the dead had been buried on Monday morning in Burkina Faso, with surviving female traders attending as witnesses. Ghanaian officials were unable to reach the site because of security concerns.
Burkina Faso authorities spent hours reclaiming the town after the attack, the minister said, adding that they had promised to provide a military escort to move the injured survivors to Ghana’s mission in the capital Ouagadougou.
Burkina Faso’s military rulers did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
Islamist militant groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State have increased their presence in Burkina Faso in recent years as they have expanded across the Sahel region, killing thousands and displacing millions.
(Editing by Anait Miridzhanian and Kevin Liffey)
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