Burkina Faso Reports 170 Dead in Village ‘Executions’

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Burkina Faso Reports 170 Dead in Village 'Executions'

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A public prosecutor in Burkina Faso has revealed that around 170 people, including women and children, were “executed” in attacks on three villages. Aly Benjamin Coulibaly has called for witnesses to assist in locating the perpetrators responsible for the attacks on Komsilga, Nordin, and Soro.

These attacks occurred in Yatenga province on 25 February, with dozens of women and children reported among the victims. The perpetrators behind these attacks are currently unknown, and they are not believed to be linked to other recent violent incidents in the country, such as attacks on a church, mosque, and army bases.

Burkina Faso’s army, which seized power in 2022, has warned of an increased risk of attacks by Islamists, including in urban centers. The country has been plagued by insecurity, with over a third of its territory under insurgent control. Humanitarian organizations have described Burkina Faso as one of the world’s most neglected crises, with over two million people displaced and significant food insecurity.

Despite promises by the military to address the insurgency, violence persists. The Institute for Economics and Peace recently stated that the central Sahel region, which includes Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, has become the new epicenter of terrorism, surpassing the Middle East.