Armed Attackers Kill 100 Civilians in Burkina Faso Village Raid
Voice of America
OUAGADOUGOU, BURKINA FASO - 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. The government described the attackers as terrorists but no group claimed responsibility. 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 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 attacks.
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