Panafrican News Agency

Burkina Faso's President Kaboré asks people to remember the victims of terrorism on Christmas Day

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - Burkinabe President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré on Wednesday asked his people to remember the victims of terrorist attacks on Christmas Day.

"On this Christmas Day, let us have a pious thought for the families grieving for the terrorist attacks against our country, and let us be in communion with our valiant soldiers, who are fighting with heroism, to ensure the security of the national territory," Mr Kaboré wrote in a message to  fellow citizens.

On Tuesday, the Burkinabe government declared a 48-hour national mourning period starting Wednesday following the deaths of 35 civilians, including 31 women, and seven soldiers in an attack that targeted the military detachment and civilian population of Arbinda in Soum province, in the Burkinabe Sahel.

At least 80 terrorists were killed in response to the attack, according to the Burkinabe army.

Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been the target of terrorist attacks in almost all of its regions, resulting in more than 700 deaths and thousands of displaced persons in a humanitarian crisis.

-0- PANA TNDD/IS/MTA/AR 25Dec2019