By Ebi Kesiena
The Government of Burkina Faso has disclosed that efforts have been intensified to find 50 women that were abducted on Thursday and Friday in the north of the country by suspected jihadists.
In a statement on Monday, Lieutenant Colonel Rodolphe Sorgho explained that as soon as their disappearance was reported, searches were undertaken to find all of the victims and ensure they are returned safe and sound.
“All means are being implemented, on the ground and air to find these women and aircraft are flying over the area to detect any suspicious movement.
‘‘Some fifty women were abducted on Thursday and Friday by suspected jihadists in two localities to the north and west of the northern town of Arbinda while they were out looking for wild fruits, these wives, mothers and daughters were unjustly attacked by armed men,” he said.
In the wake of the adoption, France has condemned the kidnapping in the strongest possible terms and called for their immediate release.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Paris reaffirmed “its solidarity and its commitment to Burkina Faso”.
The community of Arbinda is located in the Sahel region, an area under blockade by jihadist groups which is difficult to supply food.
Nearly one million people are currently living in blockaded areas in the north and east of the country, according to the United Nations.
Burkina Faso, particularly in its northern half, has faced increasing attacks by jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State since 2015. They have left thousands dead and at least two million displaced.
However, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, the transitional President who emerged from a military coup on September 30 – the second in eight months – has set himself the goal of recapturing the territory occupied by these “terrorist hordes.”
