Dakar, Senegal.- At least 80 women were kidnapped by Islamic extremists in the Sahel region of northern Burkina Faso, a local official said Monday; previously had handled the figure of 50but new information indicated that not two were kidnapped, but three groups of women.
The kidnappings occurred on January 12 and 13. approximately 15 kilometers from Arbinda, in Soum province, said the governor of the sahelLieutenant Colonel PF Rodolphe Sorghoit’s a statement.
The women were kidnapped when they were in the field picking fruit wild, he said.
this nation of West Africa has been seen invaded by jihadist violence linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State group, which has caused thousands of deaths and displaced almost two million.
The inability of successive governments to stop fighting the has caused widespread discontent and unleashed two military coups in 2022, the last against the first military regime to seize power.
However, the current military juntawho seized power in September promising reset the securitycontinues to fight to stop the violence.
In the second week of January recorded a total of 116 security incidentsaccording to an internal security report for aid groups seen by The Associated Press.
This supposes a increase of more than 60% compared to the last week of december.
The extremists have besieged cities across the countrypreventing the free movement of people and goods.
The city of Arbinda has been under the blockade of the jihadists for yearsmaking women more vulnerable to attack if they try to get out, rights groups say.
“It is a very worrying and serious fact in Burkina Faso that highlights the vulnerability of women in the blockaded areas,” he declared. Ousmane Diallo, researcher at the regional office of Amnesty International for West and Central Africa.
“All parties to the conflict must protect the rights of the civilian population and their right to earn a living.
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“Necessary for the government to pay more attention and protect civilians more in these besieged cities, but also to take an approach tailored to the protection of women and girls,” she said.
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