Toeni bus bombing

Overview

On January 4, 2020, a school bus traveling along the Toeni-Tougan highway in Toeni, Burkina Faso, drove over an improvised explosive device (IED). The blast killed fourteen people and injured nine others. According to a statement from the Burkinabe government, the majority of the dead were children, with seven children among the fourteen killed.

Background

Burkina Faso has faced a jihadist insurgency since 2015. Attacks attributed to groups including Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara intensified from 2017 and 2019 respectively. Throughout the conflict, landmines and IEDs have affected rural areas of the country, frequently placed by jihadist groups along roads used by both military convoys and civilians.

The Bombing

At the time of the attack, three buses were transporting a total of 160 passengers, 104 of whom were students returning from the Christmas holiday season. The bus that struck the IED was traveling along the Toeni-Tougan highway. Stanislas Ouaro stated afterward that the road had been closed due to the risk of attacks in the region.

The explosive device used in the attack was a homemade IED. No group claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Aftermath

The Burkinabe government issued a statement following the attack noting that the majority of those killed were children. In total, fourteen people died, including seven children, and nine others were injured.