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In early June, the Burkinabe village of Solhan was the scene of the deadliest terror attack the country had seen since 2015. Inhabitants in the restive region are now demanding the government do more to protect them from the steady rise in jihadist attacks. FRANCE 24 spoke to Amadou, a young villager who survived the horrific massacre that left at least 160 people dead.
On the night of June 4-5, scores of jihadists linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group swarmed the village of Solhan, located near the border of Mali and Niger, and staged a ruthless attack on civilians, including women and children.
Many are now fed up with the increasing insecurity in the region, and are demanding the government do more to protect them. Burkina Faso already has more than a million displaced people.
“Our region has experienced insecurity and terrorism since 2015. We feel there is a lack of action by the government,” a local said during a protest in the town of Dori following the massacre in neighbouring Solhan.
Amadou is one of the survivors of the Solhan massacre, and told FRANCE 24 about the horrific scenes he witnessed.
“I saw them arrive on their motorcycles. There were over a hundred – so many I couldn’t count them. They killed a baby who wasn’t even crawling yet and left its mother alive.”
According to the UN refugee agency, at least 3,000 people, including 2,000 children and 500 women fled to nearby towns to seek refuge after the attack.
For the full report by Kalidou Sy and Emmanuelle Landais, please click on the player above.
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