Thousands Flee Their Homes After Burkina Faso Massacre: UN

Over 3,300 people, mostly children, have fled their homes in Burkina Faso’s volatile north following the worst massacre in years, the United Nations has stated.

According to the UN refugee agency, thousands of children were among those who fled Solhan village, close to the Niger-Mali border on Saturday after gunmen stormed in killing civilians.

Babar Baloch, the UNHCR spokesman announced that at least 138 men, women, and children were “executed” in the attack, and nearly 40 other people were seriously injured.

The number of the dead stands at least 160 as reported by local sources making it one of the deadliest attacks since the Islamist violence erupted in the country in 2015.

Also Read: Crimes Against Humanity: Is It Time To Close This Chapter?

The massacre occurred barely a day after 14 people were slain late Friday in the village of Tadaryat in the same region, where civilians and soldiers are targeted by jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

“Fearing for their lives, over 3,300 people fled to the nearby villages of Sebba and Sampelga, among them more than 2,000 children and over 500 women,” Baloch said during a press conference in Geneva.

He added that most of them arrived with few or no belongings but “were generously welcomed by local families who are sharing what little they have.”

The organization stated that the new arrivals urgently needed water, sanitation, shelter, plus essential aid items, and medical care.

According to UNHCR, it is building 200 shelters and assisting the affected persons together with its partners but they are calling for more resources to help scale up the response.

Burkina Faso, over the past few weeks, has been experiencing similar and unprecedented attacks. Baloch also pointed out that the massacre came only a few weeks after gunmen shot at UNHCR and other aid organization vehicles on the road between the city of Dori and the Goudoubo camp, which houses some 12,200 Malian refugees and asylum seekers. However, no one was injured in that attack.

Also Read: Mali Suspended from AU After Military Coup Threatens Sanctions

“The growing insecurity and the presence of armed groups in several regions of Burkina Faso increasingly hamper the delivery of aid and protection for those in need. This calls for concerted action to reinforce the protection of civilians and remind all parties that humanitarian organizations are carrying out life-saving interventions in an independent and impartial manner,” said Baloch.

Burkina Faso, for the past 6 years, has been struggling to fight back against increasingly frequent and deadly jihadist attacks from groups including the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM) and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS).

So far, the attacks have claimed at least 1,400 lives, and it first started in the north near the Mali border, but have since spread to other regions, especially in the east.

More than 1.2 million people, since 2019, have fled their homes as a result of violence. Since the beginning of 2021, approximately 150,000 people have become internally displaced in Burkina Faso with 84 percent of them being women and children.