Published on: 01/17/2023 – 00:44
The authorities’ report mentions about fifty abducted women. They could be more numerous, according to a witness who works for Arbinda township security. Three groups of women would be affected.
According to Burkinabe authorities, who confirmed the information in a press release Monday morning, about fifty women were abducted by terrorists in two waves, Thursday and Friday, in the northern Burkina Faso town of Arbinda. A witness confirms that three groups of women, rather than two, were kidnapped in three locations: Boukouma, Wourougoudou and Trignien. That’s about 80 people.
This resident, who helps secure Arbinda, explains that the women were out picking fruit when they were kidnapped. “Forty-three residents were first arrested near Boukouma. Then 18 others met the same fate in Wourougoudou, west of Arbinda. Finally, in a third village called Trignien, the terrorists kidnapped a final group of 16 women. One of them managed to escape. In her statement, she explained that the attackers took cattle, the victims then had to herd the animals into the bush while their captors followed them on motorcycles. Arriving at Gnafo, the terrorists paused to pray. Then she was able to escape. A second kidnapped woman said about fifteen victims were taken to Dala village, where the criminals slaughtered a goat and gave the women rice to cook. She managed to escape while preparing the meal. »
The governor of the Sahel said the search was still ongoing. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Austrian Volker Türk, called for the “immediate and unconditional release” of the hostages. Volker Türk said he was “alarmed” by the case, which he said could be “the first attack of this type deliberately targeting women” in Burkina.
► Also read: Burkina Faso: In Arbinda, the population is shocked after a woman abduction of unprecedented proportions