Child soldiers mostly responsible for Burkina Faso massacre that killed 138, officials say
A group of young boys helped carry out an attack in Burkina Faso that killed at least 138 people earlier this month, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: It was one of the deadliest massacres in years in the West African country, which has struggled to hold off multiple insurgencies, including from groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, per the Washington Post.
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Driving the news: The attack in the northeastern village of Solhan was mostly perpetrated by children between the ages of 12 and 14, government spokesman Ousseni Tamboura told reporters this week.
It was unclear which group instigated the attack. Officials did not offer further details.
What they're saying: "We are alarmed by the presence of children within armed groups," Sandra Lattouf, UNICEF's Burkina Faso representative, said in a statement to the Post. "While living among armed actors, children experience unconscionable forms of violence including physical and sexual violence or high level of traumatic experiences."
The big picture: The crisis in Burkina Faso has killed hundreds of people and displaced more than 1.2 million, 61% of whom are children, according to UNICEF said. One in 10 schools have closed, which has impacted over 300,000 children.
Experts say the school closures have made children more vulnerable to abuse, trafficking and recruitment into gangs or combat.
In 2020, armed groups in Central and West Africa recruited roughly 3,270 children into their ranks — more than a third of the world's documented child soldiers, according to the United Nations.
They are often kidnapped, drugged and brainwashed, researchers say.
Children abducted by Boko Haram in Nigeria have said the extremists threatened to kill anyone who refused to participate in the attacks, the Post reports.
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