Latest Burkina Faso News
Burkina Faso rights defender abducted as concerns grow over alleged clampdown on dissent
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A prominent human rights defender in Burkina Faso has been abducted by unknown individuals, rights groups have announced, in what activists say could be the latest attempt by the military government to target dissidents using a controversial law. Daouda...
At least 40 civilians killed by al-Qaida-linked rebels in a Burkina Faso town, UN rights office says
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — At least 40 civilians were killed last weekend by al-Qaida-linked rebels trying to take control of a besieged town in Burkina Faso’s hard-hit northern region, the United Nations' rights office said, calling the attack a war crime. In one of the largest...
Burkina Faso's state media says hundreds of rebels have been killed trying to seize vulnerable town
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Hundreds of rebels were killed as they tried to seize a town in northern Burkina Faso on Sunday, the state broadcaster reported, in one of the largest clashes in recent years in the West African nation under threat from fighters linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State. ...
A newly formed alliance between coup-hit countries in Africa’s Sahel is seen as tool for legitimacy
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Three West African nations led by military juntas met this week to strengthen a newly formed alliance described by some analysts on Friday as an attempt to legitimize their military governments amid coup-related sanctions and strained relations with neighbors. ...
Burkina Faso authorities say 70 people, mostly children and elderly, slain in village massacre
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — Assailants in northern Burkina Faso killed about 70 people, most of them children and the elderly, in a village massacre earlier this month that remains under investigation, authorities said Monday. Prosecutor Simon B. Gnanou said the attack took...
Groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State take root on the coast of West Africa
ATACORA, Benin (AP) — The insurgents pressured Zackari to join their movement, and he turned them down. Now he's frightened of their revenge. He has been on the run from the jihadi fighters for more than a year. They regularly call the 33-year-old, warning: “We haven’t...
Rights groups report widespread war crimes across Africa’s Sahel region with communities under siege
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Security forces and armed groups are committing war crimes against civilians in Africa's Sahel region, where extremists and rebels are increasingly fighting to exert dominance and control resources in communities, according to new reports from two rights groups. ...
French troops are starting to withdraw from Niger and junta leaders give UN head 72 hours to leave
COTONOU, Benin (AP) — French troops have started leaving Niger more than two months after mutinous soldiers toppled the African country’s democratically elected president, the military said Wednesday. More than 100 personnel left in two flights from the capital Niamey on Tuesday...
UN authorizes a second malaria vaccine. Experts warn it's not enough to stop the disease spreading
LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization authorized a second malaria vaccine on Monday, a decision that could offer countries a cheaper and a more readily available option than the world's first shot against the parasitic disease. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus...
Burkina Faso’s junta says its intelligence and security services have foiled a coup attempt
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Burkina Faso’s military government said Wednesday its intelligence and security services had thwarted a coup attempt and were actively pursuing others believed involved in what it called a bid to “throw our country into chaos.” A junta statement said the...
