UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed his shock and outrage over the killing of dozens of people in Burkina Faso on Saturday in one of the country’s deadliest attacks in years.
According to local sources, the number of deaths from the massacre increased to 160 on Sunday, several media reported. Seven children are believed to be among the victims, according to the UN. In a statement late on Saturday, Guterres condemned the “heinous” attack and called on the international community to increase its support in the fight against violent extremism.
“The Secretary-General is outraged at the murder, early today, of over a hundred civilians, including seven children, in an attack by unidentified assailants on a village in Yagha province, in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso,” Stephane Dujarric said.
Meanwhile, Turkey strongly condemned the attack by unidentified assailants and expressed sincere condolences to the families of those who lost their lives.
The identity and motives of the attackers, which targeted a village in Yagha province, are unclear. Attackers set fire to houses and a marketplace belonging to the inhabitants of the region. A three-day national mourning was announced in Burkina Faso beginning late on Saturday after the incident.
Several armed groups are active in the Sahel region, which stretches south of the Sahara from the Atlantic to the Red Sea. Some of these militant groups have pledged allegiance to the terrorist organizations Al-Qaeda and Daesh. While Burkina Faso had long been spared attacks, their frequency has increased significantly since 2015. According to the UN, more than 1.2 million people are now refugees in their own country.
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