Burkina Faso’s army gives civilians 14 days to evacuate ahead of military offensive

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) – Burkina Faso’s army said Friday it had given civilians two weeks to evacuate areas in the northern and southeastern regions ahead of a military offensive against terrorists blamed for recent deadly attacks.

“A delay of 14 days will be accorded to residents to relocate to safer zones,” army spokesperson Yves Didier Bamouni told reporters in the national capital of Ouagadougou.

The announcement came on the back of a massacre on June 11 – 12 that left 100 people dead and thousands displaced in Seytenga commune — 15 kilometers (27 miles) from the border with Niger.

Bamouni suggested that no mass displacement of residents is expected in the areas of military interest because they are essentially forest areas, in which human activity has been prohibited for a very long time.

“These are not residential areas, but we are aware that some populations reside there, and that terrorists found safe haven there,” he said.

He said operations in collaboration with the partner armies and army auxiliaries target extremists who have refused dialogue offered by the junta leader.

Humanitarian Minister Lazare Zoungrana said Friday that 31,201 people have fled the Seytenga commune and have benefitted from 150,000 tons of relief food and cash handouts.

The army, meanwhile, announced a three-month ban on certain brands of motorcycles and motorized tricycles in parts of eight regions, to help the army distinguish civilians from militants, who are known to travel and raid residents on motorbikes.