A terror attack on Thursday targeted farmers in Youlou, Burkina Faso, killing 33, officials confirmed on Saturday.

In a statement, Governor Babo Pierre Bassinga noted that "the village of Youlou in the department of Cheriba, Mouhoun province suffered a cowardly and barbaric terrorist attack," tracing the attack back to about 5:00 pm.

Moreover, Bassinga said that "the gunmen targeted peaceful civilians" who were farming along the river resulting in a "provisional death toll" that reached 33, all of whom were buried later on Friday.

According to local sources, the attack occurred as armed assailants opened fire from a moving vehicle toward farmers and indiscriminately killed them.

As the governor announced that security in the area will be enhanced, he also urged locals to "redouble their vigilance and continue collaborating with the fighting forces for a victory against terrorism and a definitive return of peace and stability."

Burkina Faso has been held in a death grip by a violent insurgency since 2015, and France had exploited this to maintain a military presence in the country. 

Sending troops in 2013 under the pretext of fighting terrorists in the Sahel region, France's security operation proved to be a failure in light of the proliferation of terrorism. The operation ended in February following the deterioration of France's ties with its ex-colony.

Back in March, Burkina Faso authorities indefinitely suspended French-based TV channel France 24 following the controversial airing of an interview with Yezid Mebarek, a militant leader affiliated with the terror organization AQIM (Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb). Providing a platform for extremist organizations is not only equivalent to "acting as a communications office for these terrorists, but, worse, it is providing a space for the legitimization of terrorist actions and hate speech", authorities said.

The broadcaster, on the other hand, rebuked the government's accusations and condemned the decision to suspend the channel without due notice.

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