Solhan and Tadaryat massacres

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Solhan and Tadaryat massacres
Part of the Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso - Yagha.svg
Yagha Province
LocationSolhan and Tadaryat, Yagha Province, Burkina Faso
Coordinates 13°22′35″N00°27′28″E / 13.37639°N 0.45778°E / 13.37639; 0.45778
Date4–5 June 2021
Deaths160 in Solhan
14 in Tadaryat
174 in total
PerpetratorUnknown

On 4 and 5 June 2021, insurgents attacked the Solhan and Tadaryat villages in the Yagha Province of Burkina Faso. The massacres left at least 174 people dead. Insurgents have been attacking the Sahel Region, along the border with Mali, since Islamists captured parts of Mali in 2013. [1]

Contents

Attacks

In the evening of 4 June 2021, 13 civilians and a soldier were killed in an attack in the village of Tadaryat, located 150 km (93 mi) to the north of Solhan. [1] The attackers also raided the community's motorbikes and cattle. [2] [3]

Hours later in the early morning of 5 June 2021, insurgents attacked Solhan village in Burkina Faso, killing at least 160 civilians, including 20 children, and wounding 40 others. [4] [5] [6] [7] Around 2 am, the attackers, mounted on around 20 motorcycles, targeted first the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), an anti-jihadist civilian defense force, before they burned homes and a market. [7] [8] [9] A nearby mine was also attacked, Solhan being a centre for gold mining. [7] The attackers left around dawn, some three hours before police response forces arrived in the village. [7] Upon leaving the village the attackers left a number of improvised explosive devices on the roads leading into the village. These were disarmed by engineers from the Burkinabé army in the following days. [10]

The attacks are thought to have been the deadliest in Burkina Faso for five years. [6] Many of the survivors fled to Sebba, the capital of Yagha province, some 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Solhan. [11] The dead from Solhan have been buried in three mass graves by local residents. [4]

According to government spokesman Ousseni Tamboura, the attack in Solhan was carried out primarily by child soldiers between the ages of 12 and 14. [12]

Response

The government blamed terrorists for the attack; however no group has since claimed responsibility for the massacre. [13] The president, Roch Kaboré, issued a statement of condolences about the attack stating; "I bow before the memory of the hundreds of civilians killed in this barbaric attack and extend my condolences to the families of the victims." [2] Kaboré cancelled a planned trip to Lomé, Togo because of the incidents. [14]

A 72-hour period of national mourning was declared by the government. [15] Some women in the country planned to wear all white on 7 June 2021 as a mark of respect for those killed. [14] The Burkinabé National Police have redeployed units in response to the massacres and in anticipation of further attacks. [16]

António Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, who have thousands of peacekeepers stationed in the country, stated that he was "outraged" by the attacks. [5] Pope Francis mentioned the Solhan massacre in his Angelus prayers and stated that Africa needs peace and not violence. [17]

Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin denied responsibility for the attack and condemned it. [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burkina Faso</span> Country in West Africa

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,878 sq mi), bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. As of 2021, the country had an estimated population of 23,674,480. Previously called the Republic of Upper Volta (1958–1984), it was renamed Burkina Faso by President Thomas Sankara. Its citizens are known as Burkinabè, and its capital and largest city is Ouagadougou.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Ouagadougou attacks</span> Islamic terrorist attack in Burkina Faso

On 15 January 2016, gunmen armed with heavy weapons attacked the Cappuccino restaurant and the Splendid Hotel in the heart of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. The number of fatalities reached 30, while at least 56 were wounded; a total of 176 hostages were released after a government counter-attack into the next morning as the siege ended. Three perpetrators were also killed. The nearby YIBI hotel was then under siege, where another attacker was killed. Notably, former Swiss MPs Jean-Noël Rey and Georgie Lamon were killed. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Al-Mourabitoun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solhan (department)</span> Department in Yagha Province, Burkina Faso

Solhan is a department or commune of Yagha Province in the Sahel Region of northern Burkina Faso.

On 16 February 2020 a large group of gunmen attacked a Protestant service being hosted in the village of Pansi, Burkina Faso. Pansi, a rural village in Yagha Province in the Sahel Region of Burkina Faso, was targeted by terrorists who wanted to loot supplies and dissuade the local population from attending or supporting church services.

On 3 May 2021, Islamic militants attacked Kodyel, a village in Foutouri, Burkina Faso. The attack left at least 30 people dead and another 20 injured.

Tadaryat is a village in Yagha Province, Burkina Faso. A massacre occurred in Tadaryat in June 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso</span> Ongoing insurgency in Burkina Faso (2015–present)

An ongoing war and civil conflict between the Government of Burkina Faso and Islamist rebels began in August 2015 and has led to the displacement of over 2 million people and the deaths of at least 10,000 civilians and combatants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland</span> Armed group in Burkina Faso

The Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland is an armed self-defense group in Burkina Faso created to fight jihadist insurgents. It is an auxiliary force supporting the Burkina Faso Armed Forces.

On 25 May 2022, armed assailants suspected to be jihadists attacked the rural locality of Madjoari in the Kompienga Province of Burkina Faso. The massacre left at least 50 civilians dead as they were attempting to flee a blockade. It was the third attack to take place in Madjoari in May 2022, after an attack on 14 May that killed 17 civilians and another on 19 May that killed 11 soldiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamist insurgency in the Sahel</span> Insurgency throughout the Sahel and West Africa

An Islamist insurgency has been ongoing in the Sahel region of West Africa since the 2011 Arab Spring. In particular, the intensive conflict in the three countries of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso has been referred to as the Sahel War.

On June 12, 2022, at least 100 civilians were killed in a massacre by suspected Islamists in the village of Seytenga, located in a department of the same name in Séno Province, Burkina Faso.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Djibo</span> Battle between Burkina Faso and Jihadist rebels

The siege of Djibo is an ongoing blockade of the city of Djibo in Burkina Faso by several factions of Jihadist Islamist rebels. The siege began in February 2022, and is part of the Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso.

In early July 2022, two separate massacres occurred in Bourasso, Kossi Province and Namissiguima Department, Yatenga Province in Burkina Faso. The massacre in Bourasso killed 22 people, and the one in Namissiguima killed 12.

The Karma massacre was a massacre in the village of Karma, Burkina Faso. The massacre occurred on 20 April 2023 and is suspected to have been carried out by the 3rd Battalion of the Rapid Intervention Brigade from the Burkina Faso Armed Forces. Between 60-156 civilians were killed in the massacre making it one of the worst in the Burkina Faso insurgency.

On April 8, 2022, unknown jihadists ambushed a Burkinabe military base near the town of Namissiguima, in Sanmatenga Province, Burkina Faso.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Boala attack</span>

On December 7, 2022, ten Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland militants, a Burkinabe civilian militia, were killed at a market in Boala Department, Centre-Nord Region, Burkina Faso. A second attack on December 10 killed seven civilians.

On January 28, 2023, suspected Islamic State jihadists attacked Burkinabe soldiers and Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) militiamen in the city of Falagountou, Burkina Faso.

References

  1. 1 2 "Dozens killed in Burkina Faso attack". BBC News. 5 June 2021. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  2. 1 2 Akinwotu, Emmanuel (2021-06-05). "Suspected extremist attack on Burkina Faso village kills 100 people". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 2021-06-05. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  3. ↑ "Une centaine de morts dans une attaque au Burkina Faso". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2021-06-05. Archived from the original on 2021-06-05. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  4. 1 2 "Burkina Faso : après le massacre de Solhan, le bilan relevé à 160 morts". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2021-06-06. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  5. 1 2 "At least 132 civilians killed in Burkina Faso's worst attack in years". Reuters. 2021-06-05. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  6. 1 2 Stubley, Peter (2021-06-06). "At least 132 people killed by militants in Burkina Faso". The Independent. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Attaque de Solhan: le Burkina Faso à nouveau endeuillé par le terrorisme". RFI (in French). 2021-06-06. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  8. ↑ "Around 100 civilians killed in Burkina Faso's worst attack in recent years". Reuters. 5 June 2021. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  9. ↑ "At least 114 killed in deadliest Burkina Faso attacks since 2015". The Hindu . Agence France-Presse. 2021-06-05. ISSN   0971-751X. Archived from the original on 2021-06-05. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  10. ↑ "Burkina Faso: Des engins explosifs étaient placés sur les voies d'accès à Solhan". L'Actualité du Burkina Faso 24h (in French). 2021-06-07. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  11. ↑ "Attackers kill 100 civilians in Burkina Faso village raid". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  12. ↑ Paquette, Danielle; Wilkins, Henry (June 24, 2021). "Child soldiers carried out attack that killed at least 138 people in Burkina Faso, officials say". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. A group of young boys helped carry out the early June attack that claimed at least 138 lives in the northeastern village of Solhan, government spokesman Ousseni Tamboura said. "The attackers were mostly children between the ages of 12 and 14," he told reporters this week in the capital, Ouagadougou.
  13. ↑ Peltier, Elian (5 June 2021). "More than 100 People Killed in Attack in Burkina Faso". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  14. 1 2 "Drame de Solhan : Le génie de nos ancêtres aurait pu nous servir de rempart - leFaso.net". lefaso.net (in French). 6 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  15. ↑ "Armed Attackers Kill 100 Civilians in Burkina Faso Village Raid". Voice of America. 5 June 2021. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  16. ↑ "Solhan : L'UNAPOL " compatit "". L'Actualité du Burkina Faso 24h (in French). 6 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  17. ↑ "Burkina Faso, sale a 160 morti il bilancio del massacro nel villaggio di Solhan". RAI News (in Italian). 6 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  18. ↑ "Sahel 2021: Communal Wars, Broken Ceasefires, and Shifting Frontlines | ACLED". 17 June 2021.
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