At least 100 people killed in an attack in Burkina Faso

Ouagadougou: At least 100 people were killed in an attack carried out by armed assailants in the African country of Burkina Faso. As reports, hundreds of locals rocked by the attack have fled the region. No organisation has claimed responsibility for the attack. But a substantial doubt is being expressed that a terrorist organisation affiliated with Al Qaeda or IS have carried out this attack. Meanwhile, Togo, the neighbour of Burkina Faso, has clamped emergency in the border areas following the attack. Whereas, Niger has put its military on alert.

Moreover, the attacks were carried out in the Seytenga region in the Seno province. At midnight on Saturday, assailants came in cars and bikes and opened fire, separating men from women and children. The attackers killed men in the villages leaving out women and children. The local media and the administration are making varied claims about the number of victims of this attack. A security official claimed that at least 100 people had been killed. But according to media reports, this number could be as high as 165. 55 bodies have been recovered and houses are being checked for bodies.

At least 3,000 people have been displaced from the area since the attack. They have taken refuge in the city of Dori. Displaced people are being treated in the town as there is a presence of human rights organisations. The United Nations and the European Union have strongly condemned the killings in Burkina Faso. Clashes erupted between rebels and the army in the Seytenga area last week. It is claimed that the rebels have issued a warning to the Burkina Faso military with this attack.

But there is a strong belief that groups linked to two terrorist organisations, Al Qaeda and IS, are responsible for the killings. Al-Qaeda and IS-linked terrorist organisations are claimed to have bases near the Seytenga border. Earlier, it was revealed that terrorists from this region had carried out attacks. Therefore, these attacks are linked to both these terrorist organisations.

Since 2015, thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced given the violence perpetrated by terrorist organisations in the Sahel countries of Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali. Citizens in Burkina Faso had started to criticise the government for failing to stop the violence. Under such circumstances, the army revolted in January this year, overthrowing the government and seizing power. After that, there was the government of Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandogo Damiba in Burkina Faso.

But in the last four months, there has been no change in the violent situation in Burkina Faso. Last week, terrorists in the country killed 11 soldiers. The people of Burkina Faso and political parties have since lashed out at Lieutenant Colonel Damiba’s regime for failing to stop terrorists.