Burkina Faso

FILE - A mural is seen in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Wednesday March 1, 2023. Three survivors of an attack in Zaongo, central Burkina Faso, told AP that dozens of people were killed in their village on Nov. 5 when security forces attacked. One of the survivors, a 32-year-old farmer, said he photographed the horrific scenes of bodies as proof of the carnage before fleeing. (AP Photo, File)

Burkina Faso’s security forces are killing more civilians. Survivors detailed 1 village’s massacre

Women slain with babies wrapped against their bodies. Lifeless children intertwined together. A 2-month-old face-up on the ground.

FILE - People take to the streets of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on 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. The military juntas ruling Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger say they have agreed to create a joint force to fight extremist violence in their nations. No details of how the force will operate have been released, even though the countries are experiencing financial difficulties with overstretched militaries. (AP Photo/Sophie Garcia, File)

Juntas ruling Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso agree to create a joint force to fight worsening violence

Burkina Faso starting players pose for a team photo at the beginning of the African Cup of Nations round of 16 soccer match between Mali and Burkina Faso, at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly stadium in Korhogo, Ivory Coast, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Burkina Faso won’t continue with coach Hubert Velud after disappointing Africa Cup

FILE - The defense chiefs from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) countries excluding Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea and Niger, gather for their extraordinary meeting in Accra, Ghana, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, to discuss the situation in Niger. Three West African nations of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have quit the regional economic bloc known as ECOWAS. Their respective juntas said in a joint statement on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024 thatt he bloc has imposed “inhumane” sanctions to reverse the coups in their nations and has also “moved away from the ideals of its founding fathers and Pan-Africanism” after nearly 50 years of its establishment. (AP Photo/Richard Eshun Nanaresh, File)

Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso withdraw from West Africa regional bloc ECOWAS as tensions deepen

FILE - A mural is seen in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on March 1, 2023. A new report by Human Rights Watch says Burkina Faso’s security forces killed at least 60 civilians in three different drone strikes which the West African nation’s military government claimed were targeting extremists. (AP Photo, File)

At least 60 civilians were killed in Burkina Faso last year in military drone strikes, watchdog says

Niger crisis deepens as European nations evacuate

A French military transport plane carrying Europeans has departed Niger in the first such evacuation flight since mutinous soldiers ousted the country’s democratically elected president nearly a week ago and shut its borders.

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United Nations: Haiti at risk of starvation

Troops film boys’ killings in Burkina Faso

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Five killed in a private plane crash in eastern Burkina Faso

Authorities in Burkina Faso say five people were killed and two injured when a private plane crashed into a tree following its failure to take off from an airport in the country’s eastern region.

At least 15 Catholic worshippers were killed in an attack during a service in northern Burkina Faso

Catholic church officials in Burkina Faso say that at least 15 worshippers have been killed in a village when gunmen attacked a community as they gathered for prayers in the country’s conflict-hit northern region.

FILE - Leverkusen's Edmond Tapsoba celebrates after he scored his side's 5th goal during the UEFA Europa League Group H soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Qarabag at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023. Burkina Faso is bidding for its first Africa Cup of Nations title after one final and two semifinal appearances since 2013. Thanks to his assured cool-headed performances, Edmond Tapsoba finished on the team of the tournament as Burkina Faso was only stopped by eventual winner Senegal in the semifinals two years ago. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)

Burkina Faso’s Edmond Tapsoba hoping for country’s first Africa Cup title after years of near misses

Burkina Faso is bidding for its first African Cup of Nations title after one final and two semifinal appearances since 2013.

FILE - French soldiers disembark from a U.S. Air Force C130 cargo plane at Niamey, Niger base, on June 9, 2021. France on Friday Dec. 22, 2023 completed the withdrawal of its troops who were asked to leave Niger by the country’s new junta, ending years of on-the-ground military support and raising concerns from analysts about a gap in the fight against jihadi violence across Africa’s Sahel. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)

France completes military withdrawal from Niger, leaving a gap in the terror fight in the Sahel

France has completed the withdrawal of its troops from Niger after they were asked to leave by the country’s new military rulers, ending years of on-the-ground support.

FILE - Daouda Diallo, one of Burkina Faso's most prominent human rights defenders poses for a photograph, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Thursday Feb. 3, 2022. Daouda Diallo — who won the Martin Ennals awards for human rights in 2022 — was taken to an unknown location by men who accosted him in the nation's capital city on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023 the local civic group which Diallo founded said in a statement. (AP Photo/Sophie Garcia, File)

Burkina Faso rights defender abducted as concerns grow over alleged clampdown on dissent

Rights groups in Burkina Faso say a prominent human rights defender has been abducted by unknown individuals in what they say could be the latest attempt by the military government to target dissidents.

FILE- An aerial view shows a camp of internally displaced people in Djibo, Burkina Faso, May 26, 2022. Videos published by the state-run RTB Television Tuesday, Nov, 28, 2023, showed large groups of people riding motorcycles around a swathe of desert land as they appeared to be running from aerial bombardments. It was not immediately clear the number of civilians and security forces killed during the Sunday attack near Mali's border and involving about 3,000 rebels, according to the broadcaster. The Associated Press could not confirm the authenticity of the videos. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)

At least 40 civilians killed by al-Qaida-linked rebels in a Burkina Faso town, UN rights office says

The United Nations’ rights office says at least 40 civilians were killed last weekend by al-Qaida-linked rebels trying to take control of a besieged town in Burkina Faso’s hard-hit northern region.

FILE- An aerial view shows a camp of internally displaced people in Djibo, Burkina Faso, May 26, 2022. Videos published by the state-run RTB Television Tuesday, Nov, 28, 2023, showed large groups of people riding motorcycles around a swathe of desert land as they appeared to be running from aerial bombardments. It was not immediately clear the number of civilians and security forces killed during the Sunday attack near Mali's border and involving about 3,000 rebels, according to the broadcaster. The Associated Press could not confirm the authenticity of the videos. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)

Burkina Faso’s state media says hundreds of rebels have been killed trying to seize vulnerable town

Burkina Faso’s state broadcaster reports that hundreds of rebels were killed as they tried to seize a town in the northern part of the country on Sunday.

FILE - Nigeriens, some holding Russian flags, participate in a march called by supporters of coup leader Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani in Niamey, Niger, on July 30, 2023. Three West African nations led by military juntas met this week to strengthen a newly formed alliance described by some analysts on Friday as an attempt to legitimize their military governments amid coup-related sanctions and strained relations with neighbors. In his first foreign trip since the July coup that brought him into power, Niger’s junta leader, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani held separate meetings Thursday Nov. 23, 2023 with his Mali and Burkina Faso counterparts. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)

A newly formed alliance between coup-hit countries in Africa’s Sahel is seen as tool for legitimacy

Three West African nations led by military juntas met this week to strengthen a newly formed alliance which some analysts describe as an attempt to legitimize their military governments.

Burkina Faso authorities say 70 people, mostly children and elderly, slain in village massacre

Authorities in Burkina Faso say about 70 people were killed when assailants attacked a village in the country’s volatile north. The announcement from Prosecutor Simon B.

FILE - Supporters of Capt. Ibrahim Traore parade waving a Russian flag in the streets of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022. A coup attempt against Burkina Faso’s military government has been thwarted by the country’s intelligence and security services, authorities said Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Sophie Garcia, File)

Burkina Faso’s junta says its intelligence and security services have foiled a coup attempt

Burkina Faso’s junta says the country’s intelligence and security services have foiled a coup attempt.

More than 50 security forces killed by jihadis in Burkina Faso, as violence inches closer to capital

Burkina Faso’s military says that more than 50 security forces were killed during intense fighting with jihadis in the north of the country.

US warns military takeovers in Africa’s Sahel hamper fight against terrorism in the volatile region

The United States is warning that the string of military takeovers in Africa’s Sahel region will hamper the fight against terrorism.

Romanian hostage freed from Burkina Faso after 8 years in captivity, Romania’s foreign ministry says

Romania’s foreign ministry says a Romanian citizen who was abducted in northeast Burkina Faso in 2015 where he was working at a mine, has been released.

FILE - French Barkhane Air Force mechanics maintain a Mirage 2000 on the Niamey, Niger base, on June 5, 2021. On Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023, night, the junta said on state television it was terminating the military agreements and protocols signed with it's former colonial ruler, France. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)

West Africa defense chiefs finalize Niger intervention plan as junta negotiations deadlock

Defense chiefs from West African nations finalized an intervention plan and urged militaries to ready resources after negotiations deadlocked with Niger’s military junta, which says it is severing military agreements with France, its former colonial ruler.

With the headquarters of the ruling party burning in the back, supporters of mutinous soldiers demonstrate in Niamey, Niger, Thursday, July 27 2023. Not everyone is hostile to last week's coup in Niger. Neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali have taken the unusual step of declaring that foreign military intervention in Niger would be a declaration of war against them, too. Both have had coups in recent years. (AP Photo/Fatahoulaye Hassane Midou)

Some of Niger’s neighbors defend the coup there, even hinting at war. It’s a warning for Africa

Not everyone is hostile to last week’s coup in Niger. Neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali have taken the unusual step of declaring that foreign military intervention in Niger would be a declaration of war against them, too.

Boubacar Moussa, a former member of the Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin group, linked to al-Qaida, poses for a photo in Niamey, Niger, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023. The 47-year-old says Niger's coup will embolden violence, increase recruitment across the country and threaten regional stability. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)

The coup in Niger will only embolden extremists, says a former jihadi fighter

A former jihadi fighter says the coup in Niger could boost the ability of Islamic extremists to recruit in the country, potentially increasing violence and further threatening the stability of Africa’s Sahel region.

File - Sudanese refugees who fled the conflict in Sudan gather Monday, July 10, 2023, at the Zabout refugee Camp in Goz Beida, Chad. Some 260,000 people have fled Darfur into neighboring Chad after RSF fighters and allied Arab militias stormed a number of cities and towns, burning houses and driving out residents. (Pierre Honnorat/WFP via AP, File)

Niger adds to growing list of countries in the Sahel run by the military

Mutinuous soldiers in Niger have overthrown the nation’s democratically elected government, adding it to a growing list of countries in West Africa’s Sahel region where military regimes rule.

Supporters of Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum demonstrate in his support in Niamey, Niger, Wednesday July 26 2023. Governing bodies in Africa condemned what they characterized as a coup attempt Wednesday against Niger's president, whose official Twitter account reported that elements of the presidential guard engaged in an "anti-Republican demonstration" and tried to obtain the support of other security forces. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)

How the coup in Niger could expand the reach of Islamic extremism, and Wagner, in West Africa

More than 1,000 U.S. service personnel are in Niger to combat the growing threat from various groups of Islamic extremists.

West Africa recorded over 1,800 terrorist attack in first six months of 2023, regional official says

West Africa has recorded over 1,800 terrorist attacks in the first six months of the year resulting in nearly 4,600 deaths with dire humanitarian consequences.

Ghana forcibly deports hundreds of people who had fled extremist violence in Burkina Faso, says UN

The United Nations says that Ghana has forcibly deported hundreds of people fleeing violence in Burkina Faso, many of them women and children seeking safety in northern Ghana.

FILE - Burkina Faso mutinous soldiers guard the entrance of the national television station in Ouagadougou, Monday Jan. 24, 2022. A slew of extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, and instances of torture by Burkina Faso's military has terrorized communities in the country's northeast this year, according to a Human Rights Watch report released Thursday, June29, 2023. (AP Photo/Sophie Garcia, File)

Burkina Faso’s military accused of killings, torture in latest Human Rights Watch report

A new Human Rights Watch report is accusing Burkina Faso’s military of killing and torturing civilians in the country’s northeast.

FILE- An aerial view shows a camp of internally displaced people in Djibo, Burkina Faso, May 26, 2022. Burkina Faso's government says more than 2 million people have become internally displaced, fueling a dire humanitarian crisis across the conflict-ridden country. The number of displaced people has mushroomed by more than 2,000% since 2019, when violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group began surging and spreading across the West African nation. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)

More than 2 million people displaced, Burkina Faso’s government says, as aid falls short

Violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group has made Burkina Faso a country with one of the world’s fastest-growing populations of internally displaced people.

FILE - A man sells bananas at a market during a cease-fire in Khartoum, Sudan, Saturday, May 27, 2023. Two U.N. agencies are warning of rising food emergencies including starvation in Sudan due to the outbreak of war and in Haiti, Burkina Faso and Mali due to restricted movements of people and goods. The four countries join Afghanistan, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen at the highest alert levels. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali, File)

UN agencies warn of starvation risk in Sudan, Haiti, Burkina Faso and Mali, call for urgent aid

Two U.N. agencies are warning of rising food emergencies including starvation in Sudan due to the outbreak of war and in Haiti, Burkina Faso and Mali due to restricted movements of people and goods.

FILE - Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong listens beside Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo during a joint press conference at a hotel in Makati City, Philippines on Thursday May 18, 2023. An 88-year-old Australian doctor held captive in West Africa for more than seven years has been released, the Australian government said on Friday, May 19.(Lisa Marie David/Pool Photo via AP, File)

88-year-old Australian doctor freed 7 years after kidnapping by Islamic extremists in West Africa

An 88-year-old Australian doctor held captive by Islamic extremists in West Africa for more than seven years has been freed.

UN: Africa’s Sahel desperately needs help to fight violent extremism and stop its spread

Africa’s Sahel region has become a hot spot for violent extremism, but the joint force set up in 2014 to combat groups linked to the Islamic State, al-Qaida and others has failed to stop their inroads.

Killings reported in Benin’s north

An attack by unidentified armed persons in the north of the small West African nation of Benin has killed ‘about 15 people,’ according to the government’s spokesperson.

Extremists kill 33 soldiers in latest Burkina Faso attack

Burkina Faso’s army says Islamic extremists killed 33 soldiers during an attack on the military in the country’s east.

The United Nations says that at least 150 civilians may have been killed and many others injured in the violence and is calling for an investigation.

Mass killing of civilians by security forces in Burkina Faso

The United Nations says at least 150 civilians may have been killed and many others injured in violence in northern Burkina Faso.

Men in military uniforms kill 60 people in Burkina Faso

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — At least 60 people have been killed by men in military uniforms in northern Burkina Faso, authorities said.

EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT FILE - The uncle of a 16-year-old named Adama watches a video in Burkina Faso, on March 18, 2023, showing a man slamming a rock onto the head of his nephew. The military junta first denied its security forces were involved, but Friday April 21, 2023 the government opened investigations into allegations of human rights abuses by its security forces. A frame-by-frame analysis by The Associated Press of the 83-second video shows the killings happened inside a military base in the country's north. (AP Photo, File)

Burkina Faso investigates alleged abuses by security forces

Burkina Faso’s government has opened investigations into allegations of human rights abuses by its security forces after a video surfaced that appeared to show the extrajudicial killing of seven children in the country’s north.