By Gbenga Ojo
The Movement Diami Rewmi (Peace Movement) in Senegal, on Thursday, has expressed condolences to the Government of Burkina Faso on the death of aleast 160 civilians massacred by suspected jihadists.
In a press statement signed by the President, Pape Ndiaye Ngalgou, he extended heartfelt condolences to the people of Burkina Faso and families of the deceased over the unfortunate loss.
Ngalgou prays God Almighty to grant the departed rest in His everlasting kingdom and comfort grieving families, friends and associates.
Ngalgou also condoled with Ouedraogo Salif, an Africa business leader and the CEO of API Holding Group over the the unfortunate incident in his country.
“We would like to offer our condolences to the Burkina Faso people and express our heartfelt sympathies to the families of the victims,” Ngalgou added.
It was reported that some suspected jihadists massacred at least 160 civilians, including around 20 children, in a village in Burkina Faso’s volatile north.
The slaughter in the early hours of Saturday followed the slaying of 14 people late Friday in the village of Tadaryat in the same region, where jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State have been targeting civilians and soldiers
GbaramatuVoice gathered that the attack is the deadliest since Islamist violence erupted in the West African country in 2015.
According to TheDefensePost, In Solhan, in the region near the borders of Mali and Niger, local sources said they have recovered a total of 160 bodies from three mass graves.
“It’s the local people themselves who have started exhuming the bodies and burying them after transporting them,” one local source said.
An earlier toll from local sources had put the dead at 138, while a government toll stood at 132 dead and around 40 wounded as of late Saturday.
In Solhan, a local official said the “situation is still volatile… despite the announcement of military operations,” adding that residents were fleeing to the nearby towns of Sebba and Dori.
“Many people lost everything after their homes and belongings were torched,” he said.
President Roch Marc Christian Kabore on Saturday condemned the massacre in Solhan as ‘barbaric’ and ‘despicable.’
“We must remain united and solid against these obscurantist forces,” Kabore said.
Declaring three days of national mourning through Monday, the government stated that “terrorists,” a term for jihadists, killed civilians of all ages and set fire to homes and the main market. A security source lamented “the heavy human toll, the worst recorded to date” while warning it could still increase.
UN chief Antonio Guterres‘ spokesman said he was “outraged” over the massacre.
Guterres “strongly condemns the heinous attack and underscores the urgent need for the international community to redouble support to Member States in the fight against violent extremism and its unacceptable human toll,” Stephane Dujarric said in a statement, offering Burkinabe authorities the UN’s “full support.”
Support Quality Journalism in the Niger Delta Region
Join us in our mission to bring development journalism, cultural preservation, and environmental awareness to the forefront. Your contribution makes a difference in the lives of the people of the Niger Delta. Donate today and be a part of the change!
