On Sunday 9th June at least 19 people died in another jihadist attack. “Several dozen armed men carried out an attack on the district of Arbinda, shooting several people dead,” said a local official who wished to remain anonymous.
According to the official, the attack took place when a group of assailants opened fire on locals on Sunday morning. Before the attack three vehicles had been stopped and burnt and a driver killed.
Burkina Faso had been known for peaceful coexistence between different religious and ethnic groups. But in 2014 a revolution ended the 27-year rule of President Blaise Compaoré. The power vacuum was quickly filled by extremist groups, exploiting ethnic fault-lines and fanning ethnic strife.
An Open Doors worker said, “There are many factors contributing to the violence in Burkina Faso, including political, economic, tribal and religious reasons. Many Burkinabe youths have been radicalized by the teaching of Islamist preachers and leaders of extremist groups.”
The government has declared a state of emergency in seven of the country’s administrative regions, but many say these government measures are accompanied by brutality. According to Human Rights Watch, security forces have killed three times as many people as armed Islamist groups in the northern Sahel region. This has given rise to ‘self-defence’ militias and has…
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