Ouagadougou: Deadly massacre in Africa’s Burkina Faso claimed the lives of 132 people. The assailants set fire to the houses and markets in the area. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Al Qaeda and IS-linked terrorist groups, active in Africa’s Sahel region, have been accused of being behind it. In the last few months, these terrorist organizations have stepped up attacks in Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Mali.
The terrorists attacked the village of Solhan in Yagha province in eastern Burkina Faso on Friday night. At the time, the terrorists dragged the locals out of the houses and opened fire indiscriminately. The victims also include children. At least 40 locals were grievously injured in the attack, with the militants setting the village on fire. President Roch Marc Christian Kabore called on the people of Burkina Faso to unite against the terrorists, calling the incident a heinous massacre.
According to reports, 14 people have also been killed in a terrorist attack in the village of Tadarya, located 150 km from Solhan village. Only last month, 30 people were killed in a terrorist attack in eastern Burkina Faso. Even before that, the terrorists had carried out attacks in the northern part of Burkina Faso. Nevertheless, Friday’s attack is claimed to be the deadliest one seen in the last few years.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed concern over the Burkina Faso attack. Al Qaeda and IS-linked terrorist organizations have intensified attacks in Burkina Faso since 2015. The terrorist attacks, which were initially limited to neighbouring Mali, have now begun to hit Burkina Faso. As a result, about 1.2 million people in Burkina Faso have been displaced in the past two years.
Despite a total population of about 20 million and a GDP of $19 billion, Burkina Faso’s military is considered relatively mediocre. Burkina Faso’s government also uses civilian defence force to launch operations against terrorists. However, the terrorist organizations are now also targeting the volunteers of the civilian defence force.
France has deployed troops in the Sahel regions to fight terrorism. In January, the French military killed 20 militants in operation in Burkina Faso. However, terrorist attacks in the Sahel region have escalated in the last few months. Moreover, the terrorists are constantly targeting villages on the borders of Niger, Mali and Nigeria.
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