Two Spanish journalists and an Irish citizen have been killed after they were kidnapped during an anti-poaching patrol in Burkina Faso earlier this week. The pair were part of a group of 40 people patrolling a national park near the border of Burkina Faso and Benin in West Africa. The Spanish journalists were making a documentary on Burkina Faso’s efforts to protect nature preserves, including from poaching, González Laya said. She added authorities are still trying to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the deaths as the information about what really happened was “confusing.” The Irish citizen was later identified as Rory Young, the co-founder and CEO of Chengeta Wildlife, a wildlife protection and anti-poaching charity. When the jihadists attacked, the soldiers tried to form a protective shield around the foreigners, but once the shooting stopped they realized they had disappeared, he said. “Foreign nationals are a preferable target to be used as bargaining chips in exchange for ransom,” said Heni Nsaibia, an analyst with the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.
SOURCE: EURO NEWS