Thousands Flee Surging Violence in Burkina Faso

GENEVA - A series of attacks by unidentified armed groups in Burkina Faso over the past 10 days has left 45 people dead and forced 17,500 people to flee their homes, the U.N. refugee agency says. 

The UNHCR reports gunmen went on a rampage in three regions, burning down houses and shooting and killing civilians. It says they also ransacked health centers and damaged homes  and shops.  UNHCR spokesman Boris Cheshirkov says he does not know what triggered the recent string of attacks.  "Clearly, one of the reasons is to cause mayhem and to torment the civilians, which now we see not only in Burkina, but across the Sahel-Chad Basin regions, especially in the last two years. And, in recent months, this has been fueling one of the worst and largest and fastest growing displacement and protection crises in the world," Cheshirkov said.