EU says around 100 civilians reportedly killed in Burkina Faso village massacre

Roughly 100 civilians were reportedly killed during a massacre on a village in the West African country of Burkina Faso, the European Union’s diplomatic service said Monday.

Unidentified assailants recently attacked the village of Zaongo in Burkina Faso’s northern Centre-North region, killing residents and setting property on fire. Most of the victims were children and elderly.

Burkina Faso is currently under military rule after a junta staged a successful coup d’état in July 2022. Since the military takeover, the junta has prioritized security but has struggled to rein in islamist groups whose attacks have resulted in multiple civilian casualties this year.

In early April, authorities blamed terrorists for the killing of at least 44 people in separate attacks on villages in northern Burkina Faso.

Later that month, 136 others, including babies were killed in a similar onslaught on a village in the same region by armed men in military uniform. Authorities condemned the attack and opened an investigation.

Burkina Faso has been the epicenter of violence that has spread across the vast Sahel region by Islamist groups linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State.