UN refugee chief finishes three-nation Sahel tour

UN refugee chief finishes three-nation Sahel tour

Filippo Grandi, head of the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), has completed a three-nation tour of the Sahel, meeting with heads of state and other leaders focused on the security and humanitarian crises. Grandi wrapped up his mission in Burkina Faso, meeting with President Roch Marc Kaboré after stops in…

Amid protests, UN condemns Burkina Faso mosque attack

Amid protests, UN condemns Burkina Faso mosque attack

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has strongly condemned Friday’s attack on a mosque in northern Burkina Faso, in a statement released over the weekend. Guterres expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and the nation, and promised the UN will continue to support efforts to bring peace and…

Burkina Faso declares state of emergency in 6 provinces

Burkina Faso declares state of emergency in 6 provinces

Authorites in Burkina Faso have declared a state of emergency in six of its 13 provinces, in response to an escalating terrorist threat. President Roch Marc Kaboré announced the decision through his information minister following an emergency meeting with the country’s council of ministers on Monday. The declaration covers four…

Terror and targets: What’s behind the Ouagadougou attacks?

The terrorist attacks in Ouagadougou on Friday were by no means the first in Burkina Faso, where people were gunned down in the Aziz Istanbul restaurant while dining in August or died at the Splendid Hotel, a site popular among Westerners that was targeted by car bomb attacks in January…

Laureen Fagan

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times

Burkina Faso: JNIM claims responsibility for Ouagadougou attack

The al Qaeda-affiliated militant group JNIM (Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims) has claimed responsibility for Friday’s attacks in Ouagadougou, in a statement released to a Mauritanian media outlet. The message to Al Akhbar said the separate but simultaneous attacks on Burkina Faso’s military headquarters and the Embassy of…