GENEVA: UN human rights chief Volker Turk on Monday called for the immediate and unconditional release of about 50 women abducted last week by suspected jihadists in Burkina Faso.
The west African country’s Sahel regional governor Lieutenant-Colonel Rodolphe Sorgho said the women were taken on Thursday and Friday around Arbinda, in an area under blockade by jihadist groups and dependent on food supplies from outside.
Turk, the United Nations’ high commissioner for human rights, said in a statement: “I am alarmed that dozens of women out to search for food for their families were abducted in broad daylight, in what could be the first such attack deliberately targeting women in Burkina Faso.
“I call for the immediate and unconditional release of all the abducted women and for the national authorities to promptly conduct an effective, impartial and independent investigation to identify those responsible and hold them to account.”
The statement said the abductions took place around 15 kilometres (nine miles) from Arbinda village, which is one of many communities in northern Burkina Faso that have been besieged by armed groups since early 2019, making it extremely hard for residents to access food, water and other basic goods and services. -AFP