The bodies of Beriain, Fraile and Young, on April 30, upon arrival in Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid). (Photo: JAVIER SORIANO via Getty Images)
The journalist David Beriain was able to save himself from the jihadist attack that took his life a month ago, in Burkina Faso, but he did not. His partner, the cameraman Roberto Fraile, was injured and he refused to leave him. So did Irish environmentalist Rory Young. They both decided to stay. And so all three were finally executed. This is what the investigation of his murder, which occurred a month ago, reveals, armed with the account of witnesses of what happened and revealed today by the newspaper El País.
Their expedition, according to the news, advanced towards Pana, where they were to investigate poaching near an important natural park, almost on the border with Benin, an area with a large presence of criminal gangs and jihadists. “The patrol in which the journalists were integrated was heavily armed, with about 30 troops, two pick-up trucks and a dozen motorcycles,” explains El País. Both were seasoned reporters and knew the risks they were running, so they did not go blind, but prepared, supported by the organization of the NGO Chengeta Wildlife.
Early in the morning of April 26, the procession saw a camp with a black flag, that of Al Qaeda, and thus began a three-hour fight. The group was attacked from three flanks, with heavy weapons, so it was impossible to get out of the offensive, despite their efforts. The Burkinabe decided to withdraw, but the Spaniards and the Irish, who were in one of the cars, “had gone ashore and Fraile was seriously wounded.” “The military urged Beriain and Young to flee, leaving their partner behind, but they did not want to do so and stayed with him,” the information indicates.
The alarm was raised, but the Burkina soldiers only …
This article originally appeared on The HuffPost and has been updated.
