Attackers kill 100 civilians in Burkina Faso village raid | Burkina Faso News

Attack took place during the night, targeting residents of the village of Solhan in Yagha province bordering Niger.

Armed assailants have killed about 100 civilians in an overnight attack on a village in northern Burkina Faso.

The attackers struck during the night on Friday, killing residents of the village of Solhan in Yagha province bordering Niger, the government said in a statement on Saturday, adding that the attackers also burned homes and a market.

It described the attackers as terrorists but no group claimed responsibility.

The government declared a 72-hour period of national mourning.

Attacks by fighters linked to al-Qaeda and the ISIL (ISIS) group 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.

Burkina Faso’s ill-equipped army has struggled to contain the spread of violence.

Last year, the government enlisted the help of volunteer militiamen to help the army but they have incurred retaliation by the rebels who attack them and the communities they help.

Armed groups have driven religious and ethnic tensions between farming and herding communities in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to boost recruitment among marginalised communities.

The worsening violence in the wider Sahel region has led to one of the world’s most acute humanitarian crises, UN agencies said last week.

The violence in Burkina Faso has displaced more than 1.14 million people in just over two years, while the poor arid country is also hosting some 20,000 refugees from neighbouring Mali who are seeking safety from violence.