On 4 and 5 June 2021, insurgents attacked the Solhan and Tadaryat villages in the Yagha Province of Burkina Faso. The massacres left at least 174 people dead. Insurgents have been attacking the Sahel Region, along the border with Mali, since Islamists captured parts of Mali in 2013.[1]
| Solhan and Tadaryat massacres | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso | |
 | |
| Location | Solhan and Tadaryat, Yagha Province, Burkina Faso |
| Coordinates | 13°22′35″N 00°27′28″E / 13.37639°N 0.45778°E |
| Date | 4–5 June 2021 |
| Deaths | 160 in Solhan 14 in Tadaryat 174 in total |
| Perpetrator | Unknown |
Attacks
editIn the evening of 4 June 2021, 13 civilians and a soldier were killed in an attack in the village of Tadaryat, located 150 km (93 mi) to the north of Solhan.[1] The attackers also raided the community's motorbikes and cattle.[2][3]
Hours later in the early morning of 5 June 2021, insurgents attacked Solhan village in Burkina Faso, killing at least 160 civilians, including 20 children, and wounding 40 others.[4][5][6][7] Around 2 am, the attackers, mounted on around 20 motorcycles, targeted first the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), an anti-jihadist civilian defense force, before they burned homes and a market.[7][8][9] A nearby mine was also attacked, Solhan being a centre for gold mining.[7] The attackers left around dawn, some three hours before police response forces arrived in the village.[7] Upon leaving the village the attackers left a number of improvised explosive devices on the roads leading into the village. These were disarmed by engineers from the Burkinabé army in the following days.[10]
The attacks are thought to have been the deadliest in Burkina Faso for five years.[6] Many of the survivors fled to Sebba, the capital of Yagha province, some 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Solhan.[11] The dead from Solhan have been buried in three mass graves by local residents.[4]
According to government spokesman Ousseni Tamboura, the attack in Solhan was carried out primarily by child soldiers between the ages of 12 and 14.[12]
Response
editThe government blamed terrorists for the attack; however no group has since claimed responsibility for the massacre.[13] The president, Roch Kaboré, issued a statement of condolences about the attack stating; "I bow before the memory of the hundreds of civilians killed in this barbaric attack and extend my condolences to the families of the victims."[2] Kaboré cancelled a planned trip to Lomé, Togo because of the incidents.[14]
A 72-hour period of national mourning was declared by the government.[15] Some women in the country planned to wear all white on 7 June 2021 as a mark of respect for those killed.[14] The Burkinabé National Police have redeployed units in response to the massacres and in anticipation of further attacks.[16]
António Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, who have thousands of peacekeepers stationed in the country, stated that he was "outraged" by the attacks.[5] Pope Francis mentioned the Solhan massacre in his Angelus prayers and stated that Africa needs peace and not violence.[17]
Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin denied responsibility for the attack and condemned it.[18]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Dozens killed in Burkina Faso attack". BBC News. 5 June 2021. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
- ^ a b Akinwotu, Emmanuel (2021-06-05). "Suspected extremist attack on Burkina Faso village kills 100 people". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2021-06-05. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
- ^ "Une centaine de morts dans une attaque au Burkina Faso". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2021-06-05. Archived from the original on 2021-06-05. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
- ^ a b "Burkina Faso : après le massacre de Solhan, le bilan relevé à 160 morts". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2021-06-06. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ a b "At least 132 civilians killed in Burkina Faso's worst attack in years". Reuters. 2021-06-05. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ a b Stubley, Peter (2021-06-06). "At least 132 people killed by militants in Burkina Faso". The Independent. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Attaque de Solhan: le Burkina Faso à nouveau endeuillé par le terrorisme". RFI (in French). 2021-06-06. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ "Around 100 civilians killed in Burkina Faso's worst attack in recent years". Reuters. 5 June 2021. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
- ^ "At least 114 killed in deadliest Burkina Faso attacks since 2015". The Hindu. Agence France-Presse. 2021-06-05. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 2021-06-05. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
- ^ "Burkina Faso: Des engins explosifs étaient placés sur les voies d'accès à Solhan". L'Actualité du Burkina Faso 24h (in French). 2021-06-07. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ "Attackers kill 100 civilians in Burkina Faso village raid". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ Paquette, Danielle; Wilkins, Henry (June 24, 2021). "Child soldiers carried out attack that killed at least 138 people in Burkina Faso, officials say". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021.
A group of young boys helped carry out the early June attack that claimed at least 138 lives in the northeastern village of Solhan, government spokesman Ousseni Tamboura said. "The attackers were mostly children between the ages of 12 and 14," he told reporters this week in the capital, Ouagadougou.
- ^ Peltier, Elian (5 June 2021). "More than 100 People Killed in Attack in Burkina Faso". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
- ^ a b "Drame de Solhan : Le génie de nos ancêtres aurait pu nous servir de rempart - leFaso.net". lefaso.net (in French). 6 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
- ^ "Armed Attackers Kill 100 Civilians in Burkina Faso Village Raid". Voice of America. 5 June 2021. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
- ^ "Solhan : L'UNAPOL " compatit "". L'Actualité du Burkina Faso 24h (in French). 6 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
- ^ "Burkina Faso, sale a 160 morti il bilancio del massacro nel villaggio di Solhan". RAI News (in Italian). 6 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
- ^ "Sahel 2021: Communal Wars, Broken Ceasefires, and Shifting Frontlines | ACLED". 17 June 2021.