Burkina Faso unrest: Dozens of kidnapped women freed

Security forces in Burkina Faso have rescued 66 women and children after they were kidnapped by suspected militant jihadists in the north of the country last week, state TV reports.

In an unprecedented mass kidnapping, the victims were seized while gathering food in an area hit by an insurgency.

They were found on a bus at a security checkpoint some 200km (125 miles) south of where they were taken, reports say.

It is not clear if their captors have also been detained.

On Friday night, state TV showed pictures of the children and women, some with babies on their backs, boarding a bus at an airport after being addressed by a military officer.

“They have found freedom after eight long days in the hands of their kidnappers,” the reporter says.

They are now in the capital, Ouagadougou, where they are expected to be questioned to find out “more about their abductors, their detention and their convoy”, a security source told the AFP news agency.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top