The tiny landlocked West African Sahel region nation of Burkina Faso has been wracked by terrorism and violence at the hands of Islamic militants that continues to increase over they years. As the state of the nation continues to decay, over a half-million people have been dislocated, threatening not only more terrorism in this tiny nation, but the possibility of prompting another migration crisis within West Africa and with possible implications for Europe.
Burkina Faso has become the fastest growing humanitarian crisis in Africa since the beginning of 2019. This is due to continued attacks by Islamic extremists in the northern region of the country. Continued attacks by these radicals have displaced as many as 530,000 people since January 2019. The most recent attack took place on Sunday in the town of Silgadji in northern Soum province. The radicals raided the local market in Silgadji as people were shopping. They killed at least 10 people, but the death toll has been reported as high as 50.
This is not the first time that this town has been attacked either. They were also attacked early last April when Islamic militants executed a pastor and 4 others outside of their church.
These types of attacks have left the Christian population, about 20% of Burkina Faso’s total population, in fear for their lives. Large populations have fled south in search of safety, as much of the violence has been in the North along the border with Mali. With the continuation of this crisis, the whole country could be at risk for continued growth of Islamic extremism and violence. (source)
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