Burkina Faso's army has said it will grant people 14-days to evacuate two military zones in the country's north and east before "human presence is forbidden".

The areas are reputed havens for jihadists, and the decision to establish the two zones was taken at a defence council convened on Monday by junta leader Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.

On Friday, the junta's head of domestic operations, Lieutenant Colonel Yves Didier Bamouni said "a period of 14 days will be given to the resident population to move to safer areas".

The two areas are in the northern Soum province bordering Mali, and the protected natural reserves between Pama and the "W" National Park in the east.

Bamouni had said the aim was to make it easier to combat "the terrorist hydra".

All human activity and human presence will be banned in the zones. Anyone who ventures into them risks exposing themselves "to the military operations that will be conducted there shortly", Bamouni said on Monday.

The decision comes just over a week after 86 civilians were massacred in an attack blamed on jihadists on the northern border village of Seytenga.

It was the second worst attack since 2015, when violence attributed to fighters linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group began.

Thousands have since died and nearly two million people have fled their homes.

The new government led by Damiba, who overthrew elected president Roch Marc Christian Kabore in January, vowed to restore security, blaming Kabore of not doing enough to repel armed jihadists groups.

Related Links
Africa News - Resources, Health, Food

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Mali strongman adopts electoral law, key to civilian rule
Bamako (AFP) June 24, 2022
Mali's strongman ruler on Friday signed into law election legislation adopted by parliament a week ago, paving the way for polls and a return of civilian rule, according to a presidential decree. The text, which leaves the door open to junta members seeking election, was adopted on June 17 by the National Transitional Council, the legislative body set up by Mali's ruling military junta, led by Colonel Assimi Goita. It notably sets up a single election management body in place of a contested th ... read more