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Terrorists have killed at least 132 people in northern Burkina Faso, the government said, as a United Nations official condemned the “dangerous insurgency” and called on countries to work hard to combat “violence”.
The robbery took place on Friday night, killing civilians in the village of Solhan in Yagha province, which borders Niger. They also set fire to a house and a local market, according to a government statement on Saturday.
The victims had seven children.
Another 40 people were also injured, state spokesman Ousseni Tamboura told reporters.
President Roch Marc Christian Kabore called the killings “brutal” and called on the people of Burkinabe “to remain united and courageous in the face of these atrocities”.
No group has claimed responsibility for the incident.
The attack was the worst in Burkina Faso.
Since 2015, the West African country has been working hard to combat the recurring and dangerous threats from al-Qaeda-linked groups and more recently ISIL (ISIS). The offensive began in the north-north of the Mali border, but has since spread to other parts of the world, especially to the east, causing serious problems in the world.
An estimated 1.2 million people in Burkina Faso are being forced to flee their homes as a result of a long-running conflict, as militants continue to attack civilians and civilians despite thousands of French and international troops from across the Sahel.
‘An unacceptable number of people’
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “outraged” by the massacre in Burkina Faso and gave the country “all support”.
Guterres “strongly condemns the violence and highlights the need for the international community to step up its efforts to support member states in the fight against extremist violence and extrajudicial killings,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
Burkina Faso has now announced a 72-hour overhaul in the country.
In Solhan, a local source told AFP that the robbers lived around 2:00 am (02:00 GMT) against the role of Volunteers for the Defense of the Motherland (VDP), a militant group supporting the militant group.
He then stormed the house and committed “murder,” the source said.
The VDP was set up in December 2019 to support Burkina Faso’s war effort against the armed forces, but it has met with more than 200 people, according to an AFP report. The volunteers only received military training two weeks before being sent to work alongside the security forces. They often perform surveillance, data collection or escort activities.
Corrine Dufka, director of Human Rights Watch in West Africa, said Solhan’s attack followed events in the Sahel this year.
“Power is [armed groups] coming in, they take over the security system and start punishing the community as a whole, “said Dufka.” It’s an example we’ve seen everywhere this year. “
In neighboring Niger, for example, militants have killed 137 people in March in what investigators and activists say they could have avenged the killings of local security forces or arrested those suspected of being in the army.
Dufka said Friday’s attack was forcing the number of people killed by militants in the Sahel region since January more than 500. Most of the killings have been carried out by militants in the Islamic State of the Greater Sahara, he added.
Lots of dangers either
The attack on Solhan came just weeks after Security Minister Cheriff Sy and other military officials went to the nearby town of Sebba to reassure people that life had returned to normal, following a series of wars in the area, according to Nic J Haera of Al Jazeera.
“There was also a military base near the scene of the attack,” Haque said. “But he never did anything. They never got on the scene. It is a feeling that the people of the Sahel are now dealing with – that they cannot rely on their own security to protect them. ”
As security worsens, researchers say more threats are needed in Burkina Faso and neighboring countries.
“It simply came to our notice then. And I’m afraid we can expect the same kind of reports, “said Alex Vines, director of the Africa Program at tank-international, Chatham House.
“It is a place of safety. With the three border areas of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, where the worst migration and violence are taking place … Governments are shrinking. And they do not provide the protection that humans need. That’s why armed groups … are filling these gaps. ”
Vines told Al Jazeera that what was happening in the Sahel has caused concern for other West African countries.
“Everything is big and it is spreading in the area. This is not just about the Sahel,” he said. So, think of Benin, think of Togo. Aghana are particularly concerned about what is happening on their border with Burkina Faso. Ivory Coast, too. This is growing rapidly around the world. ”
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