Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: Three martyrs in strike that targeted vehicle on Shoukin-Kfar Dejjal road, Nabatieh District.
Iranian Judiciary Spokesperson: Israeli aggression on Evin Prison a war crime.
Iranian Judiciary Spokesperson: A number of employees, civilians martyred in Israeli aggression on Evin Prison yesterday.
Netanyahu: "Israel" has agreed to the US proposal for a bilateral ceasefire with Iran.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: Israeli drone strikes Shoukin-Kfar Dejjal road, Nabatieh District.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: 25 martyrs, more than 150 injured in Israeli targeting of aid seekers near Netzarim Axis, central Gaza Strip.
The ceasefire between Iran and "Israel" has officially begun.
Sirens sound in northern occupied Palestine.
Israeli media: Iran used missiles that have never been launched before in its latest attacks.
Israeli military command reports the detection of a fifth launch from Iran.

50 women abducted in Burkina Faso by suspected terrorists

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 16 Jan 2023 22:51
3 Min Read

The kidnappers are suspected to be affiliated to Al-Qaeda or IS.

  • x
  • Women and children stand outside the city hall, in Kaya, on January 22, 2020. Copyright © africanews OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT/AFP
    Women and children stand outside the city hall, in Kaya, on January 22, 2020. Copyright © africanews OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT/AFP

About 50 women were abducted on Friday by suspected terrorists in Burkina Faso, in the northern town of Abrdinda, a region that has been under blockade by extremist groups for nearly a year. 

According to testimonies of several witnesses and local officials who wished to remain anonymous, a first group of forty women was kidnapped on Thursday about a dozen kilometers from the southeast of Arbinda.

A second group made of ten to twenty women was kidnapped the following day up in the north of the city. 

Some of the women reportedly managed to escape and return to their villages to tell what had happened. 

The kidnappers are suspected to be affiliated with Al-Qaeda or IS, sources say.

"While they were out looking for wild fruit, these wives, mothers, and girls were wrongfully taken by armed men," Sahel regional governor Lieutenant-Colonel Rodolphe Sorgho said in a statement.

"As soon as their disappearance was announced, efforts were launched to find all of these innocent victims safe and sound," he added.

A security source told AFP on Monday that "all means available are being used, in the air and on the ground, to find these women."

"Aircraft are flying over the area to detect any suspicious movement."

Related News

Burkina Faso junta chief dismisses PM, dissolves government

Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali sign treaty to become confederation

UN human rights chief Volker Turk called for "the immediate and unconditional release of all the abducted women," adding that this "could be the first such attack deliberately targeting women in Burkina Faso."

Read more: Nine killed in mosque attack in Burkina Faso

Abductions and armed conflicts have been quite frequent in the city of Arbinda in recent years.

For nearly a year since the country has been struck by insurgencies, Idrissa Badini, a civil society spokesman, said that the population of Arbinda "is on the verge of a humanitarian disaster" due to it running out of vital reserves. 

The UN estimates that about one million people live in blockaded regions in Burkina Faso.

Over the past year, Burkina Faso saw a number of political instabilities, with two governments subsequently overthrown over the course of nine months.

In October 2022, Ibrahim Traore was sworn in as head of the transitional government of Burkina Faso in front of the country's constitutional council.

In late September, Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, the leader of an interim government who came to power through a coup in early 2022, was ousted by a group of military officers led by Traore in what became the second military takeover in the country in eight months. Damiba himself had overthrown elected President Roch Marc Christian Kabore in January 2022.

It is noteworthy that the UN warned in October 2022 that 4.9 million people, or a fifth of Burkina Faso's population, are in urgent need of aid, citing the fact that many "mothers were compelled to feed their children with leaves and salt."

Read more: France may withdraw its forces from Burkina Faso's capital: Le Monde

  • Ibrahim Traore
  • Burkina Faso
  • Al Qaeda
  • ISIS

Most Read

Israeli workers survey the site where a missile launched from Iran struck in Haifa on Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP)

True Promise 3, wave 20: 40 missiles launched, Kheibar-Shekan in first

  • Politics
  • 22 Jun 2025
Rescue team work at the site where a missile launched from Iran struck Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, June 16, 2025 (AP)

Wave 12 of Operation True Promise 3 launched, Sejjil deployed: IRGC

  • Politics
  • 18 Jun 2025
Iran launches missile barrage to Tel Aviv, casualties reported

True Promise 3, wave 14: Tel Aviv targeted, casualties reported

  • Politics
  • 19 Jun 2025
Iran's heavy barrages impact multiple Israeli targets overnight

Iran's heavy barrages impact multiple Israeli targets overnight

  • Palestine
  • 18 Jun 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters upon arriving at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, N.J., Friday, June 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Politics

Trump lashes out at media outlets for downplaying Iran strike impact

ap
Politics

Turkey denies role in US-Israeli strikes on Iran nuclear sites

Iran targets US air base in Qatar with 'destructive' missile strike
MENA

Iran retaliates, targets US air base in Qatar with missiles

Demonstrators hold up a banner during a protest by Palestine Action group in London, Monday, June 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Politics

UK signals 'terror' ban on 'Palestine Action', sparking protests

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS