The Centre for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) has called on the government of Burkina Faso to protect civilians from reprisal attacks in the country’s Seno province.

An attack, Development Diaries gathered, was carried out by armed opposition groups between 11 and 12 June, 2022, in Seytenga, resulting in the death of at least 79 civilians.

The attack in Seytenga is one of the deadliest since the start of 2022.

‘Once again, civilians in Burkina Faso are bearing the brunt of armed violence, including attacks by armed opposition groups as well as security operations’, CIVIC’s Director for the Sahel, Vianney Bisimwa, said in a statement.

‘When dozens of civilians are killed in a single attack, it underscores the lack of regard these armed groups hold for civilian lives. Measures to protect civilians from future attacks must be immediately taken’.

Large parts of Burkina Faso have been engulfed in intense and continuous violence between various armed groups and Burkina Faso’s army and allied forces since 2015.

Since 2015, over 7,000 people have been killed in  Burkina Faso, while over 1.5 million persons have been displaced due to the armed crisis in the country, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Photo source: UNOCHA/Giles Clarke