ROCH MARC CHRISTIAN KABORE

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — (AP) — As Islamic extremists intensified their attacks in Burkina Faso earlier this year, coup leader Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba urged the West African nation's people to give him until September to improve things as interim president. Burkina Faso's new junta leadership announced on state television that it will effectively restart the clock on the road back to democracy, erasing much of the recent diplomacy between Burkina Faso and the West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS. “A meeting will be convened to adopt a new transitional constitution charter and to select a new Burkina Faso president be it civilian or military,” the statement continued. Chrysogone Zougmore, president of the Burkina Faso Movement for Human Rights, called the developments “very regrettable,” saying the instability would not help in the fight against the Islamic extremist violence. “It is time for these reactionary and political military factions to stop leading Burkina Faso adrift.”___Mednick reported from Barcelona.

Protesters in Burkina Faso's capital have attacked the French Embassy after the military junta in charge accused France of sheltering the ousted interim president.

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — (AP) — Protesters in Burkina Faso demonstrated Friday against the return of former President Blaise Compaore, as the ruling junta faltered in its efforts to hold a summit on the crisis of jihadi violence. Compaore, the longtime military strongman ousted by a popular insurrection in 2014, returned to Burkina Faso Thursday to attend the unprecedented meeting with other former leaders. Junta leader Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba called the meeting which was to include five former presidents. But on Friday only two ex-leaders showed up for the meeting: Compaore and Jean-Baptiste Ouedraogo, who ruled the country for nine months between 1982 and 1983 when it was known as Upper Volta. Although in exile in neighboring Ivory Coast, a Burkina Faso court recently convicted him of complicity in the murder in 1987 of former President Thomas Sankara and sentenced him to life in prison.

Protesters in Burkina Faso demonstrated Friday against the return of former President Blaise Compaore, as the ruling junta faltered in its efforts to hold a summit on the crisis of jihadi violence

Burkina Faso’s former President Blaise Compaore returned to the West African country Thursday, the first time since being ousted in a popular uprising eight years ago.

ACCRA, Ghana — (AP) — West African leaders attending a regional summit Sunday lifted sanctions against three neighbors led by military governments that are now promising a return to democratic rule. The three nations' suspension from ECOWAS will remain in effect until elections are held, he told reporters, adding that regional leaders urge development partners to resume assistance to them. In lifting the sanctions, leaders attending the summit in Ghana's capital, Accra, accepted a transition road map by Malian authorities who proposed scheduling a presidential election by March 2024. The military leaders in Guinea and Burkina Faso have also proposed varying transition periods eventually leading to polls. Burkina Faso authorities said Saturday that Kabore, who has been under house arrest, is now a free man.

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — (AP) — Burkina Faso’s former president Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who has been under strict house arrest since being ousted in a coup in January, has been allowed to return to his personal home, according to the ruling military junta. It’s unclear which of his several houses Kabore is in and it appears he remains under arrest. Kabore is allowed to see family and close friends and to use his phone but he isn’t permitted to freely move outside his home, two members of the ruling junta told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Last month the military junta announced that it intends to stay in power for three years before holding elections and returning Burkina Faso to civilian, democratic rule.

Burkina Faso’s ruling military junta says former president Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who has been under strict house arrest since being ousted in a coup in January, has been allowed to return to his personal home

Burkina Faso’s ruling military junta says former president Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who has been under strict house arrest since being ousted in a coup in January, has been allowed to return to his personal home.

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — (AP) — At least 13 soldiers were killed and eight others wounded in Burkina Faso’s eastern Gourma province in an ambush by suspected Islamic extremists, the army announced Monday. A number of the attackers were killed in the incident, according to the army statement. Burkina Faso's military seized power in a coup in January, overthrowing President Roch Marc Christian Kabore saying that he had failed to stem growing jihadi violence in the once peaceful West African nation. Kabore has been under house arrest in the capital, Ouagadougou, since his ouster. The junta has vowed to secure Burkina Faso from growing jihadi violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group that’s killed thousands and displaced more than 1.5 million people.

Burkina Faso’s junta leader Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba has been sworn in as president Wednesday, less than a month after mutinous soldiers seized control of the West African country in a coup

JAQUEVILLE, Ivory Coast — (AP) — Burkina Faso’s junta leader Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba has been sworn in as president Wednesday, less than a month after mutinous soldiers seized control of the West African country in a coup. “I swear in front of the people of Burkina Faso and on my honor, to preserve and respect, to uphold and defend the constitution, fundamental acts and the law, to do everything to guarantee justice for all the inhabitants of Burkina Faso,” he said. Within the continent, the West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS and the African Union have suspended Burkina Faso, but stopped short of imposing sanctions. But the 41-year-old leader has yet to articulate a plan for how he will secure Burkina Faso better than the previous regime. France has several thousand troops in West Africa's Sahel region, but until now has had minimal involvement in Burkina Faso compared with Niger or Mali.

Burkina Faso’s junta leader Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba has been sworn in as president Wednesday, less than a month after mutinous soldiers seized control of the West African country in a coup.

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — (AP) — The leader of Burkina Faso’s junta Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba has been declared president this week, the West African country's Constitutional Council said in a statement. Damiba has vowed to restore security to the conflict-riddled nation, which is seeing a dramatic increase in attacks by jihadists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. While the junta has so far received widespread support from people across Burkina Faso, the international community has condemned the coup. Burkina Faso has been suspended from the West African regional body known as ECOWAS as well as the African Union, which stopped short of imposing sanctions. Both those organizations are calling for a fast transition to constitutional rule and for Kabore to be released.

Burkina Faso’s Constitutional Council says that junta leader Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba has been declared president.

The U.N. Security Council has refused to condemn the military takeover in Burkina Faso last month or call it a coup, instead adopting a weak statement expressing “serious concern about the unconstitutional change of government” in the West African nation

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — (AP) — African leaders are meeting Saturday at a summit that is expected to discuss the continent's most pressing challenges, including a new wave of coups in West Africa and a slow response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The African Union, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary in July, has often been criticized for its apparent inconsistencies in responding to sporadic crises on the continent of 1.3 billion people. That decision came after the West African regional bloc ECOWAS had suspended Burkina Faso. The International Crisis Group said in a statement that securing a cease-fire in Ethiopia, supporting dialogue in the Sahel and reforming the African Union Mission in Somalia should be among the African Union's priorities this year. Human Rights Watch urged President Macky Sall of Senegal to focus on civilian protection, justice and accountability as he takes up the presidency of the African Union.

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — (AP) — The long-awaited trial on the killing of Thomas Sankara, Burkina Faso's influential leftist leader killed more than three decades ago, has been suspended as a result of the West African country's recent coup. The suspension comes one week after a military junta overthrew President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, suspended the constitution and dissolved the national assembly. Fourteen people are being charged for Sankara’s killing, including former President Blaise Compaore, who ousted Sankara in a 1987 coup. Immediate reactions to the suspension of the Sankara trial were mixed with supporters of the junta saying the trial was politically motivated by former president Kabore. “We want a Sankara trial without political manipulation, we want the truth, but for the moment we want peace,” said Mamadou Drabo, an activist leader of the Save Burkina Faso movement.

Europe Mali Burkina Faso FILE - People take to the streets of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Jan. 25, 2022 to rally in support of the new military junta that ousted democratically elected President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and seized control of the country. Officials from the European Union and five countries of the north African Sahel region are meeting as the bloc readies to impose sanctions on Mali and as political turmoil roils Burkina Faso. (AP Photo/Sophie Garcia, file) (Sophie Garcia)OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — (AP) — The African Union has suspended Burkina Faso until constitutional order is restored in the West African country, the organization announced in a tweet on Monday. The suspension of Burkina Faso comes a week after mutinous soldiers ousted democratically elected President Roch Marc Christian Kabore in a coup, citing his inability to stem jihadi violence. Talks with Burkina Faso's new junta leader, Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba, and ECOWAS began Saturday when a West African military delegation arrived.

The African Union has announced in a tweet that it has suspended Burkina Faso until constitutional order is restored in the West African country.

(AP Photo/Sophie Garcia, file) (Sophie Garcia)OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — (AP) — Mutinous soldiers in Burkina Faso forced democratically elected President Roch Marc Christian Kabore to resign this week, announcing they are now in charge of the West African country that's under siege by Islamic extremists. However, there are already new concerns that the coup could ultimately result in more attacks across Burkina Faso. The regional bloc known as ECOWAS was meeting Friday over the Burkina Faso coup and has previously suspended both Mali and Guinea for similar military takeovers. And support has been strong in parts of Burkina Faso hard-hit by extremist attacks. “They have to literally bring peace back and return displaced people back to their areas,” said Drabo of the Save Burkina Faso movement.

Experts are warning that Burkina Faso could face more instability in the aftermath of this week's military coup.

Burkina Faso Violence Customers watch Lt. Col. Henri Sandaogo Damiba address the nation on national television in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Thursday Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Sophie Garcia) (Sophie Garcia)OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — (AP) — Burkina Faso’s new military leader said he was going to bring security and order back to the conflict-ridden nation and unite the country, but warned that betrayal wouldn’t be tolerated by the new regime. Since taking over, the junta has spent the last few days trying to shore up support from religious and community leaders, security forces and unions. Damiba on Thursday also called on the international community not to turn its back on Burkina Faso. “In these particularly difficult times for our country, Burkina Faso needs its partners more than ever.

Burkina Faso’s new military leader says he is going to bring security and order back to the conflict-ridden nation and unite the country, but warns that betrayal wouldn’t be tolerated by the new regime.

Islamist militants have wrought havoc in West Africa. An insurgency that began in northern Mali in 2012 spread to Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad, and threatens coastal states including Benin, Ghana, Togo and Ivory Coast. Military juntas have toppled governments in Mali and Burkina Faso, accusing them of failing to provide security. Jihadists killed more than 1,300 civilians in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso in 2021, bringing the toll since 2015 to more than 3,500, according to the Armed Conflict Loc

Burkina Faso Military Activist Mamadou Drabo, leader of the Save Burkina Faso movement, announces to the crowd gathered Place de la Nation that Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba has taken the reins of the country in Ouagadougou Monday Jan. 24, 2022. “Today’s events mark a new era for Burkina Faso. They are an opportunity for all the people of Burkina Faso to heal their wounds, to rebuild their cohesion and to celebrate what has always made us who we are: integrity,” said Capt. “A simple change in leadership is unlikely to turn the tide,” said Constantin Gouvy, a Burkina Faso researcher who works for the Netherlands-based Clingendael Institute. To some in Burkina Faso, the soldiers’ youth is one of the reasons they believe they’ll be able to succeed.

Burkina Faso Military Activist Mamadou Drabo, leader of the Save Burkina Faso movement, announces to the crowd gathered Place de la Nation that Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba has taken the reins of the country in Ouagadougou Monday Jan. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Sophie Garcia) (Sophie Garcia)OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — (AP) — People in Burkina Faso awoke to a new military-led junta Tuesday, after mutinous soldiers ousted democratically elected President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and seized control of the country. “Today’s events mark a new era for Burkina Faso. The junta closed the borders, imposed a curfew, suspended the constitution and dissolved the government and parliament and said it would return Burkina Faso to constitutional order, but did not specify when. To some in Burkina Faso, the soldiers’ youth is one of the reasons they believe they’ll be able to succeed.

Hundreds of people have marched through the streets of Burkina Faso’s capital in a show of support for the new military-led junta that ousted democratically elected President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and seized control of the country.

Burkina Faso Military A Save Burkina Faso movement supporter holds a Burkina Faso flag after it was announced that Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba has taken the reins of the country in Ouagadougou Monday Jan. 24, 2022. More than a dozen mutinous soldiers declared Monday on state television that a military junta now controls Burkina Faso after they detained the democratically elected president following a day of gun battles in the capital. (AP Photo/Sophie Garcia) (Sophie Garcia)OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — (AP) — More than a dozen mutinous soldiers declared Monday on state television that a military junta had seized control of Burkina Faso after detaining the democratically elected president following a day of gunbattles in the capital of the West African country. “This is an opportunity for Burkina Faso to regain its integrity. Gunfire erupted early Sunday when soldiers took control of a major military barracks in the capital.

Burkina Faso Military In this image made from video, Burkina Faso mutinous soldiers walk outside the Guillaume Ouedraogo military camp in Ouagadougou, Monday Jan. 24, 2022. (AP Photo) (Uncredited)OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — (AP) — More than a dozen mutinous soldiers declared Monday on state television that a military junta had seized control of Burkina Faso after detaining the democratically elected president following a day of gunbattles in the capital of the West African country. “This is an opportunity for Burkina Faso to regain its integrity. Mutinous soldiers told the AP that the government was out of touch with troops. About 100 military members have planned the takeover since August, according to one of the mutinous soldiers.

Burkina Faso Military People cheer in support of putschist soldiers near the national television station in Ouagadougou, Monday Jan. 24, 2022. Two mutinous soldiers told The Associated Press that Burkina Faso’s President Roch Marc Christian Kabore is being held by the rebellious soldiers. (AP Photo/Sophie Garcia) (Sophie Garcia)OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — (AP) — More than a dozen mutinous soldiers declared Monday on state television that a military junta now controls Burkina Faso after they detained the democratically elected president following a day of gunbattles in the capital. Burkina Faso has seen a series of anti-government protests as anger has mounted over the handling of the Islamic insurgency. Mutinous soldiers told the AP that the government was out of touch with troops and that they wanted military rule.

Two mutinous soldiers told The Associated Press that Burkina Faso’s President Roch Marc Christian Kabore is being held by the rebellious soldiers. (AP Photo/Sophie Garcia) (Sophie Garcia)OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — (AP) — Mutinous soldiers said they detained Burkina Faso’s president on Monday, a day after rebellious troops seized a military barracks in the capital, setting off a series of gunbattles in the capital of the West African country. Mutinous soldiers told the AP that the government was out of touch with troops, whose comrades are dying, and that they wanted military rule. About 100 military members have planned the takeover since August, according to one of the mutinous soldiers. “Burkina Faso’s army is profoundly ill-equipped and unprepared for the war it’s asked to fight.

Burkina Faso Military People cheer in support of putschist soldiers near the national television station in Ouagadougou, Monday Jan. 24, 2022. Two mutinous soldiers told The Associated Press that Burkina Faso’s President Roch Marc Christian Kabore is being held by the rebellious soldiers. (AP Photo/Sophie Garcia) (Sophie Garcia)OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — (AP) — A statement from the Twitter account of Burkina Faso’s president urged dialogue and invited the military to lay down arms Monday after soldiers told The Associated Press they had detained the leader in a mutiny. The soldiers put a man on the phone who said that they were seeking better working conditions for Burkina Faso’s military amid the escalating fight against Islamic militants. “Burkina Faso’s army is profoundly ill-equipped and unprepared for the war it’s asked to fight.

Burkina Faso Military A mutinous soldier fires into the air at the Bobo interchange, near the Lamizana camp in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou Sunday Jan. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Sophie Garcia) (Sophie Garcia)OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — (AP) — Burkina Faso’s President Roch Marc Christian Kabore is being held by mutinous soldiers, two of the soldiers told The Associated Press by phone early Monday. The roads of the capital were empty Sunday night except for checkpoints heavily guarded by mutinous soldiers. Civilians drove into town in a show of support for the rebellion but were broken up by security forces firing tear gas. In December more than 50 security forces were killed in the Sahel region and nine security forces were killed in the Center North region in November.

More than a dozen mutinous soldiers declared that a military junta has seized control of Burkina Faso in West Africa.

Government officials had sought to reassure people that the situation was under control even as shots rang out for hours at the army base.

Burkina Faso Military A mutinous soldier fires into the air at the Bobo interchange, near the Lamizana camp in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou Sunday Jan. 23, 2022. Anti-government protesters lent public support to the mutinous soldiers, prompting security forces to use tear gas to disperse crowds in the capital. There were signs Sunday that their demands were supported by many in Burkina Faso who are increasingly distressed by the attacks blamed on al-Qaida and Islamic State-linked groups. Demonstrator Aime Birba said the violence under Kabore has been unlike anything Burkina Faso experienced during the nearly three decades Compaore was in power. In August 2020, a mutiny at a Malian military barracks led to the democratically elected president being detained.

Burkina Faso Military A mutinous soldier fires into the air at the Bobo interchange, near the Lamizana camp in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou Sunday Jan. 23, 2022. Witnesses are reporting heavy gunfire at a military base raising fears that a coup attempt is underway. There were signs Sunday that their demands were supported by many in Burkina Faso who are increasingly distressed by the attacks blamed on al-Qaida and Islamic State-linked groups. Demonstrator Aime Birba said the violence under Kabore has been unlike anything Burkina Faso experienced during the nearly three decades Compaore was in power. In August 2020, a mutiny at a Malian military barracks led to the democratically elected president being detained.

Burkina Faso Military A mutinous soldier fires into the air at the Bobo interchange, near the Lamizana camp in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou Sunday Jan. 23, 2022. Government spokesman Alkassoum Maiga acknowledged the gunfire but denied that the military had taken over the West African country. At the Lamizana Sangoule military barracks in the capital, however, angry soldiers shot into the air Sunday, directing their anger over army casualties at the president. The mutinous soldiers also want the military and intelligence hierarchy replaced, he said. In August 2020, a mutiny at a Malian military barracks led to the democratically elected president being detained.

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — (AP) — Heavy gunfire rang out at a military base in Burkina Faso's capital early Sunday, prompting fears that a coup attempt was underway after weeks of growing frustration with the government's handling of the Islamic insurgency wracking the country. The government put out a statement acknowledging gunfire in army barracks but denying an army takeover of the country. The country's defense minister said that President Roch Marc Christian Kabore hadn't been detained. The gunfire comes a day after protesters demanded his resignation at a demonstration in Ouagadougou. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Residents in Burkina Faso's capital say gunfire has erupted in the same area as embattled President Roch Marc Christian Kabore’s home.

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — (AP) — Security forces fired tear gas at protesters barricading the streets and throwing rocks in Burkina Faso’s capital on Saturday, as anger grows at the government’s inability to stop jihadist attacks spreading across the country. Burkina Faso’s protest comes amid an escalation in jihadist attacks linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State that has killed thousands and displaced 1.5 million people. France has some 5,000 troops in the region but until now has had minimal involvement in Burkina Faso compared with Niger or Mali. As tensions mount, the government is struggling to stem the jihadist violence. Conflict analysts say the protests are playing right into the jihadists’ hands and that the country needs to remain unified if it wants to succeed.

Security forces have fired tear gas at protesters barricading the streets and throwing rocks in Burkina Faso’s capital, as anger grows at the government’s inability to stop jihadist attacks spreading across the country.

ACCRA, Ghana — (AP) — West African regional leaders signaled Sunday that they will oppose an effort by Mali's coup leader to extend his time in power by four more years instead of holding a democratic election next month as originally promised. It wasn't immediately known whether the West African leaders gathering in Ghana's capital would further toughen existing sanctions against Mali's coup leadership. After overthrowing Mali's democratically elected president, coup leader Goita had promised to swiftly return the country to democratic rule. They initially proposed a five-year extension, but West African leaders said a new document sent Friday revises that to four years total. The French military, which helped push the militants from power in northern Mali in 2013, is now in the process of drawing down its troop presence in Mali.

West African regional leaders have imposed new sanctions on Mali that suspend most commerce and financial aid to the country.

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — (AP) — Islamic extremists killed 41 people last week in an attack in northern Burkina Faso, including the prominent leader of a volunteer group helping the country's military, the government said. Alkassoum Maiga, the government spokesman, announced two days of mourning following the deadly ambush on a convoy in Loroum province on Thursday. Violence in the once-peaceful West African nation is escalating as attacks linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State increase. More than 50 gendarmes were killed in November in the largest attack on the country’s security forces in recent memory and at least 160 civilians were massacred in the Sahel region in June. Even though Burkina Faso’s security forces are conducting the most operations compared to its neighbors in the volatile Sahel region, the army is overstretched, putting out one fire at a time, Nsaibia said.

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — (AP) — Burkina Faso's military says that its joint operation with Niger's army has killed at least 100 extremist rebels. The Burkina Faso armed forces said on Friday that its joint force with neighboring Niger also arrested 20 suspects and seized significant equipment from the rebels in the past two weeks. At least 13 soldiers were killed during this time and seven others were wounded, it said. Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore sacked his prime minister earlier this week in what analysts say was an attempt to show a stronger response to the extremist violence. Escalating jihadi attacks in Burkina Faso this year have killed thousands and displaced more than 1 million people.

JUBA, South Sudan — (AP) — Burkina Faso’s prime minister has been fired amid escalating jihadi violence that’s killed thousands and displaced more than 1 million people. Prime Minister Christophe Joseph Marie Dabire was removed as a result of the president’s commitment to setting up a “tighter and more cohesive government,” Communications Minister Ousseni Tamboura, told The Associated Press. Dabire became prime minister in 2019 and was reappointed after Kabore won reelection to a second term in November, 2020. “Kabore is running out of political options and his decision to replace the prime minister will likely only provide a short-term reprieve,” he said. As the government struggles to quell civil unrest and bolster the military, Burkina Faso is also facing a growing humanitarian crisis.

The U_N_ human rights chief says if insecurity in Burkina Faso keeps up, the West African country could spiral into a humanitarian and human rights “catastrophe.”.

Security forces have fired tear gas at protesters throwing rocks in Burkina Faso’s capital.

A military court in Burkina Faso has started the trial of 14 people including former President Blaise Compaore for the killing of influential leftist leader Thomas Sankara, who was ousted as president by Compaore in a 1987 coup.

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — (AP) — Burkina Faso’s slow and insufficient humanitarian response to the country’s escalating attacks is forcing people to choose between violence or hunger, the Norwegian Refugee Council warned on Monday. “The government’s efforts to control the response, and restrict and censor the media, does not change the troubling fact that the country’s humanitarian crisis continues to worsen,” she said. The minister of humanitarian action, Helene Marie Laurence Ilboudo Marchal, has previously said the media ban was implemented to protect the dignity of displaced people. Meanwhile, displaced civilians say they’re struggling to survive. “(The) humanitarian situation is getting worse, we are starving here,” he said.

The Norwegian Refugee Council said Burkina Faso’s slow and insufficient humanitarian response to the country’s escalating attacks is forcing people to choose between violence or hunger.

The attack killed both civilians and military personnel, the government said. No group has claimed responsibility but militants linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State have been active in the region.

Awoken by gunshots in the middle of the night, Fatima Amadou was shocked by what she saw among the attackers: children.

Gunmen killed people in a northern village in what was the West African country's deadliest attack in years. President Roch Marc Christian Kabore called the killings "barbaric."

NIAMEY, Niger — (AP) — Gunmen killed at least 100 people in a northern Burkina Faso village, the government said Saturday, in what was the country’s deadliest attack in years. The local market and several homes were also burned down in the area toward the border of Niger, he said. In one week in April, more than 50 people were killed in Burkina Faso, including two Spanish journalists and an Irish conservationist. Islamic extremists have been increasingly staging assaults in Burkina Faso, especially in the region that borders Niger and Mali. Last month, gunmen killed at least 30 people in eastern Burkina Faso near the border with Niger.

NIAMEY, Niger — (AP) — Gunmen killed at least 100 people in a northern Burkina Faso village, the government said Saturday, in what was the country’s deadliest attack in years. The attack took place Friday evening in Solhan village, in the Sahel’s Yagha province, government spokesman Ousseni Tamboura said in a statement blaming jihadists. The local market and several homes were also burned down in the area toward the border of Niger, he said. “It is clear that militant groups have shifted up gears to aggravate the situation in Burkina Faso, and moved their efforts to areas outside the immediate reach of the French-led counter-terrorism coalition fighting them in the tri-state border region,” he said. In one week in April, more than 50 people were killed in Burkina Faso, including two Spanish journalists and an Irish conservationist.

Balkissa Barro, 10, center, walks to school with friends in the Burkina Faso village of Dori Tuesday Oct. 20, 2020. In Burkina Faso, worries over the COVID-19 pandemic come second to threats of attacks by extremists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. At Wendou school, 1,400 children use 14 hand-washing stations and no one has masks, said Dofiko Kone, the headmaster. Although they’ve now returned to class, school meals haven’t yet started and the little support he gets from aid groups is not enough to sustain them. “The children go to school but when they come back ... there is no food, there is no place to sleep,” he said.

President Roch Marc Christian Kabore addresses supporters in Ouagadougou after learning he will serve another five years as Burkina Faso's president, according to provisional results announced by the National Independent Electoral Commission Thursday Nov 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Sophie Garcia)OUAGADOUGOU – Roch Marc Christian Kabore will serve another five years as Burkina Faso’s president, according to provisional results announced by the National Independent Electoral Commission on Thursday. The election commission president said final results should be out Saturday, which then must be verified by the constitutional court. More than 900 polling stations expected to open didn’t, impacting nearly 600,000 registered voters, according to the electoral commission. As Kabore’s supporters celebrated, opposition supporters said they’ll accept the results but expect the opposition to hold the ruling party accountable.

Voters went to the polls in Burkina Faso on Sunday for the elections that have been marred by ongoing extremist violence in this landlocked West African nation. “The reasons are mainly security and also it’s impossible to find someone to manage the polling stations,” Barry said. Burkina Faso experts say the violence and intimidation show how limited the authorities’ control and legitimacy really are. It’s about the development of Burkina Faso, it’s about peace in our country, so it’s important that each Burkinabe vote,” he said. ___AP reporter Arsene Kabore in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, contributed to this report.

Supporters of Burkina Faso President Roch Kabore attend a campaign rally in Bobo-Dioulasso Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020. Burkina Faso will go to the polls on Nov. 22, 2020, to vote in presidential and legislative elections marred by ongoing violence. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)OUAGADOUGOU – Burkina Faso will vote in presidential and legislative elections on Sunday, amid escalating extremist violence that’s killed more than 2,000 people this year and displaced some one million people from their homes. Komboigo told the AP that Burkina Faso was in a “catastrophe” and blamed Kabore for being unwilling to pursue a more diplomatic approach with the jihadists. Kabore is expected to be re-elected and needs more than 50% of the vote to win in the first round.

In a separate briefing Thursday, a World Health Organization official said just 51% of health facilities in sub-Saharan Africa have basic water services. Health experts say Africa has fared far better than the dire predictions early in the pandemic. Experts say possible factors include Africa’s relative youth, the later arrival of the virus and swift lockdown measures. The council reflects a world order of decades ago that few people in Africa recognize, some said. “Unfortunately," he said, “less than two months later, a fifth horseman of the apocalypse — very destructive, the coronavirus — has appeared.”

Of the dozen men taken from Burkina Fasos eastern town of Tawalbougou in late June on suspicion of supporting Islamic extremist rebels, only five survived, they said. Such accusations of extrajudicial killings, torture and unlawful detention by Burkina Fasos military are mounting, as the ill-equipped and under-trained army scrambles to stem the spread of jihadist violence thats ravaging the country. The allegations of rights abuses highlight the instability caused by the spread of extremist violence in Burkina Faso and the surrounding countries of West Africa's Sahel region. Many of the alleged victims of army abuse in Burkina Faso, like the five interviewed by AP, come from the Peuhl ethnic group, also known as the Fulani. Rights groups say the army is tarnishing its reputation and eroding trust among a desperate population that is facing attacks on multiple fronts.