NOS News•
In Burkina Faso, 66 women and children have been liberated were kidnapped by armed men in the West African country. This has been announced by the national radio station RTB.
The 27 women and 39 children were kidnapped last Thursday and Friday in the north of the country, presumably by jihadists. Such a mass kidnapping had never happened before in Burkina Faso.
The women and children were freed in a rescue operation by security forces in a province bordering Arbinda, the province where they had been kidnapped.
Wild fruit
Burkina Faso has been confronted with violence since 2015 by extremists linked to Al-Qaeda and IS. Violence has spread from neighboring Mali. The jihadists are occupying territory in the north of the country. In recent years, hundreds of villagers in the region have been killed and thousands have fled.
Some areas have also become inaccessible for assistance to the population. Many villagers are therefore dependent on fruit, leaves and seeds that can be found in the wild. Outside the villages, however, they are more vulnerable to jihadist attacks. The women kidnapped last week were also taken away when they were collecting leaves and fruit.
