Over 100 civilians killed in northern Burkina Faso
Ouagadougou, Sunday
More than 100 civilians were killed and dozens wounded by suspected terrorists overnight in a village in northern Burkina Faso, according to media reports on Saturday.
Terrorists raided the village of Solhan in the province of Yagha, killing residents of the village, burning homes and the market, said the country’s official news agency AIB.
The death toll could rise, AIB quoted government sources as saying. It added that the country’s Forces of Defence and Security have launched a search operation to “get their hands on the individuals responsible for the attack.” So far, no group has claimed responsibility.
Following the tragedy, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore declared a national mourning of 72 hours from Saturday to Monday.
“I bow to the memory of the hundred civilians killed in the barbaric attack, and send my condolences to the families of the victims,” Kabore tweeted on Saturday, adding, “We must stand united against the forces of evil.”
Also on Saturday, Prime Minister Christophe Joseph Marie Dabire released a message on Twitter, in which he condemned the attack as “incredible barbarism,” and called on all people of Burkina Faso to “remain united and committed to valiantly defend our country.”
UN Secretary outraged
Through a statement attributable to his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday expressed his outrage over the killings, and underscored the urgent need for the international community to redouble support to member states in the fight against violent extremism and its unacceptable human toll.
The secretary-general expressed his deepest condolences to the victims’ families, as well as to the government and people of Burkina Faso, the statement said.
He wished those injured a speedy recovery and conveyed the UN’s full support to the authorities in their efforts to overcome the threats to the peace, stability and unity of the country, it said.
Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been facing a worsening security situation, with more than 1,000 people being killed and over 1 million displaced by terrorist attacks.
Frequent attacks
Since 2015, the West African country has struggled to fight back against increasingly frequent and deadly attacks from groups linked to al-Qaeda and more recently to ISIL (ISIS).
The attacks first started in the north near the Mali border, but have since spread to other regions, particularly in the east, causing one of the world’s most acute humanitarian crises.
Some 1.2 million people in Burkina Faso have been forced to flee their homes because of the long-running conflict, as armed groups step up attacks on the army and civilians despite the presence of thousands of French troops and other international and regional forces across the Sahel. - Xinhua
