Around 100 civilians killed in Burkina Faso Attack
Armed assailants killed about 100 civilians in an overnight attack on a village in northern Burkina Faso, the government said Saturday.
The attackers struck during the night on Friday, killing residents of the village of Solhan in Yagha province bordering Niger. They also burned homes and the market, the government said in a statement.
Attacks by jihadists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State in West Africa’s Sahel region have risen sharply since the start of the year, particularly in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, with civilians bearing the brunt.
The government described the attackers as terrorists but no group claimed responsibility.
The government declared a 72-hour period of national mourning. It said the provisional toll put the number of people killed at about 100.
The violence in Burkina Faso has displaced more than 1.14 million people in just over two years, while the impoverished arid country is also hosting some 20,000 refugees from neighboring Mali who are seeking safety from jihadist.
In March, attackers killed 137 people in coordinated raids on villages in southwestern Niger.
