66 women and children kidnapped by armed rebels in northern Burkina Faso last week have been freed by security troops. On January 12 and 13, armed men kidnapped the women and their children outside two villages in the Arbinda district of the Sahel region’s Soum province. Security forces performed a rescue operation in the nearby Centre-Nord area, freeing 27 women and 39 newborns, children, and young girls, according to state broadcaster Radio diffusion Television du Burkina (RTP) on Friday. “After eight difficult days in the hands of their kidnappers, they have gained freedom,” an RTP presenter remarked.
RTB’s main evening news report, alluding to the army “action,” displayed photographs of the ladies who had been liberated and taken to the capital, Ouagadougou. AFP claimed that many government and security officials verified the story. The United Nations expressed concern about the kidnapping, and the country’s military administration warned of an increase in assaults on people. Burkina Faso is one of many West African countries dealing with a raging armed insurgency linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS). Armed insurgents have taken control of land in the country’s arid and mostly rural north, killing hundreds of civilians and displacing thousands more. In recent months, they have also blockaded particular locations, making it extremely risky to transport supplies to besieged civilians. Many locals have resorted to harvesting wild fruit, leaves, and seeds to feed their family due to severe food shortages.
They claim that going into the bush puts them at risk of assault. On Thursday, at least 18 people were murdered in two alleged assaults in the country’s north and northwest, including 16 army-backed vigilantes. Captain Ibrahim Traore, commander of the military government that seized control in September, claimed in December that his mission was to take back territory taken by “hordes of terrorists”. Last week, he warned the armed rebels were adjusting tactics to “concentrate on people”.
