Burkina Faso to create military zones to fight jihadi rebels

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — Burkina Faso’s ruling junta says it will create two military zones where civilians must vacate their homes to allow the army to battle jihadi rebels without any hindrances. The two zones will be established in the country's hard-hit East and Sahel...

55 people killed in latest attack in northern Burkina Faso

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — Gunmen killed at least 55 people over the weekend in northern Burkina Faso, authorities said Monday, the latest attack in the West African country where mounting violence is blamed on Islamic extremists. Suspected militants targeted civilians in...

Jihadi attacks mount in Burkina Faso despite junta's efforts

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — The mutinous soldiers who ousted Burkina Faso's democratically elected president early this year vowed they would do a better job at stopping the jihadi violence rocking the country. Five months later, however, attacks are increasing and patience with the junta...

Authorities say 55 people have been killed in northern Burkina Faso in a suspected Islamic extremist attack

Security concerns, lack of support stall Africa's Green Wall

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — A series of complex challenges, including a lack of funding and political will as well as rising insecurity linked to extremist groups al-Qaida and the Islamic State in Burkina Faso, are obstructing progress on Africa's Great Green Wall, according to experts...

Jihadis' attack in eastern Burkina Faso kills 11 soldiers

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — Eleven soldiers were killed and nearly two dozen injured by jihadis targeting a military base in eastern Burkina Faso, the government said. Injured soldiers have been taken to hospital and aerial support killed 15 attackers trying to flee after...

Jihadi abuses increasing in Burkina Faso, says rights group

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — The atrocities are rampant: A 25-year-old woman abducted at night from her home, pinned down and raped by a jihadi while another held her baby. Child soldiers pillaging villages and women killed for identifying their attackers, their bodies left on the road. ...

Burkina Faso fashion designers: More to nation than conflict

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — Vibrant African clothes, both traditional and contemporary, enlivened the catwalk in Burkina Faso’s fashion week. Designers say they are striving to make the West African country become known as an emerging fashion hub, to offset its reputation...

Burkina Faso's displaced numbers swell amid jihadi violence

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — Ami Sana hangs a tattered tarp for a bit of shade where she can rest on a break from pounding stones under the scorching sun. “The work is hard. It makes my body weak, but what else can I do?” she asked. The mother of six is one...

Two Islamic extremist attacks kill 11 Burkina Faso soldiers

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — Eleven security forces were killed and nine injured in two separate jihadi attacks in northern Burkina Faso, the army said Friday. The attacks on Thursday targeted a military camp about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Solle town in Loroum province and...