David Beriáin, Spanish Doc Director-Producer, Killed in Burkino Faso Attack

Director-producer David Beriáin, one of the key figures on Spain’s new documentary scene, was killed on Monday while making a anti-poaching documentary in Burkina Faso.

Beriain, accompanied by cameraman Roberto Fraile, was traveling in a convoy near the Arli National Park when it was attacked by armed men who arrived on two trucks and a dozen motorbikes, according to El País.

The Spanish newspaper added that Beriáin and Fraile had got out of one of the convoy’s trucks to launch a drone in order to take aerial photos when the attack began. Both lost their lives, as did Ireland’s Rory Young, director of the Fundación Chungeta Wildlife, an NGO.

Beriáin and Fraile had both been working on a documentary about the Burkino Faso government’s attempt to crack down on poaching in its national parks.

The murder is attributed, however, to jihadists by The Guardian which points out that insurgents linked to the Islamic State terror group and al-Qaida have led a campaign of violence across west Africa’s Sahel region, causing a million people to be displaced.

Spain’s foreign minister, Arancha González Laya, reported Tuesday that no group had yet claimed responsibility for the attack. “This is a dangerous area because terrorists, poachers, robbers and jihadist groups habitually operate there,” she said.