Burkina Faso: Jihadists continue to attack, kill and abduct civilians

According to Reuters reporting on 1 November 2021, 10 people were killed in an attack in the Markoye area of the Sahel reserve, northern Burkina Faso. Four others were reported missing. The attack occurred as Burkina Faso marked the 61st anniversary of its army with a ceremony focused on the fight against terrorism. Around 480 civilians were killed in attacks orchestrated by insurgents in Burkina Faso between May and August 2021, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC, 13 September 2021). World Watch Research analyst Yonas Dembele comments: "Since 2015, Burkina Faso has faced increasingly frequent and deadly attacks by jihadist groups affiliated to the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda. The violence has mainly been concentrated in the north and east, close to the borders with Mali and Niger, both of which have also been facing deadly attacks by jihadist groups. Despite government efforts to combat the jihadist threat, including support from the international community, the attacks continue unabated. Christians find themselves particularly at risk since there have been incidents where they have been deliberately targeted. Although the announcement by Burkina Faso"s new army chief about implementing a fresh national strategy to fight the Islamist insurgency has been welcomed (Africanews, 13 October 2021), only time will tell if it will be as effective as hoped."