36 civilians killed in terrorist attack in Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, 36 civilians were killed in a terrorist attack on Monday, said the Communications Minister Remis Fulgance Dandjinou. The Burkina Parliament yesterday adopted unanimously a law allowing for the recruitment of local volunteers in the fight against Jihadists, providing them with light weapons. 

Burkina Faso, as well as neighbouring Mali and Niger, has seen frequent Jihadist attacks which have left hundreds of people dead since the start of



2015 when Islamist extremist violence began to spread across the Sahel region.

According to the United Nations, around 4,000 people were killed in Jihadist attacks in the three Sahel countries last year. There are 4,500 French troops deployed in the Sahel region as well as a 13,000-strong UN Peacekeeping Force in Mali to fight insurgents, backing up national forces of the G5 -- Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.