In the atmosphere of unrest, attack on public places are used to spread terror and violence.
In fact, on 11 October, a mosque in Burkina Faso was attacked while people gathered during Friday prayers.
In his Saturday statement, United Nation Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, condemned the brutality of the attack that took place at the Grand Mosque on Friday evening in the northern village of Salmossi, close to the border with Mali. According to media reports, a gunman entered the mosque and opened fire killing around 15 people and injuring 4. However, the gunman has not yet been confirmed. On Saturday, approximately 1,000 people protested in the capital, urging for the end of violence. At a press briefing in Geneva, a spokesperson, Andrew Mbogori, reported that, since 2018, more than 500 people were killed in 472 attacks and counter-military operations, whereas approximately 486,000 people were forced to flee . Moreover, suffering experienced by those affected by the conflicts include malnutrition, starvation and the lack of reliable services which would cover their basic needs. During a Security Council meeting held on Monday, the UN Secretary General declared that the terrorism is a growing trend along national borders of African countries.
In his statement, Mr Guterres, besides condemning the Friday attack, expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured. Moreover, he, once again, expressed the UN’s commitment to supporting sustainable development within the country through the promotion of social cohesion in Burkina Faso. Mr. Mbogori added “We need urgent resources to launch a coordinated humanitarian response – an immediate necessity to save lives”.
To read more, please visit:
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/10/1049161
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/12/world/africa/burkina-faso-mosque-attack.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-50028315
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/dozen-killed-burkina-faso-mosque-attack-191012193112330.
Author: Giulia Francescon
