Search underway for 50 women kidnapped in Burkina Faso

Security forces are searching for about 50 women kidnapped by suspected Islamist militants in riot-hit northern Burkina Faso, the regional governor said on Monday.

“As soon as their disappearance was announced, efforts were launched to ensure that all these innocent victims were safe and sound,” said Sahel Regional Governor Lieutenant Colonel Rodolphe Sorgo. said in a statement.

A security source told AFP: “All means are being used, both in the air and on the ground, to find these women.”

“Aircraft are flying over the area to detect suspicious movement.”

More than 50 women were taken around Albinda on Thursday and Friday, Sorgo said. Albinda is an area that has been blockaded by jihadist groups and dependent on external food supplies.

“These wives, mothers and girls were illegally taken by armed men while they were out hunting for wild fruit,” the governor said.

Some women managed to escape and returned to the village to raise the alarm.

Military and civilian auxiliaries attempted to clear the area unsuccessfully, according to local officials.

Since 2015, it has fought riots led by jihadists affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, killing thousands and displacing nearly two million.

“It’s the first really big kidnapping since the security crisis began,” said a senior officer close to the military headquarters.

“Everything must be done to avoid tragedy and recurrence.”

Civilians are often targeted in Alvinda and surrounding areas.

In August 2021, 80 people, including 65 civilians, were killed in an attack on a convoy heading to Albinda.

Many parts of Burkina Fare are unable to grow crops because of the conflict.

In November 2022, civil society spokesperson Idrissa Badini sounded the alarm about the situation in Alvinda, stating that “residents who have depleted their reserves are at risk of a humanitarian disaster.”

Army officers have carried out two coups in Ouagadougou in the past year, showing anger at failing to quell the riots.

The newest leader of the junta is 34-year-old Colonel Ibrahim Traoré, who seized power on September 30.

He has made security a top priority for his regime, with a focus on strengthening volunteer militias and “reconquering territories occupied by terrorist hordes.”