Al-Qaida-linked militants kill at Least 40 civilians in Burkina Faso town, UN says

At least 40 civilians were killed last weekend by al-Qaida-linked rebels of JNIM trying to take control of a besieged town in Burkina Faso’s hard-hit northern region, the United Nations’ rights office said, calling the attack a war crime.

The town, located 210 kilometers from the capital, Ouagadougou, has been under blockade by rebels for more than a year, often struggling to provide essential services.

The militants in the latest attack, which happened on Sunday, also wounded 42 people and set fire to three camps for internally displaced people, U.N. Human Rights Office said in a statement on Tuesday.