Burkina Faso's army gives civilians 14 days to evacuate ahead of military offensive

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - Burkina Faso's army said Friday it had given civilians two weeks to evacuate areas in the northern and southeastern regions ahead of a military offensive against terrorists blamed for recent deadly attacks.

“A delay of 14 days will be accorded to residents to relocate to safer zones,” army spokesperson Yves Didier Bamouni told reporters in the national capital of Ouagadougou.

“The relocation is very important to be able to distinguish friends from enemies,” he said of the decision by the High Defense Council to intensify the fight against terrorism.

The announcement came on the back of a massacre on June 11 - 12 that left 100 people dead and thousands displaced in Seytenga commune -- 15 kilometers (27 miles) from the border with Niger.

Bamouni suggested that no mass displacement of residents is expected in the areas of military interest because they are essentially forest areas, in which human activity has been prohibited for a very long time.

“These are not prior residential areas, but we are aware that some populations reside there, and that terrorists found safe haven there,” he said.

He said operations in collaboration with the partner armies and army auxiliaries target extremists who have refused dialogue offered by the junta leader.

One of the areas, “military interest zones,” is a rural area bordering Mali in the northern Soum province while another is on the southern border with Benin, according to the army.

Regarding the recent Seytenga massacre, Bamouni said the manhunt for the perpetrators is ongoing.

Junta leader Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, had promised reprisals against attackers after visiting the scene of the tragedy.

The West African country has been battling an insurgency that has spread from neighboring Mali in the past decade.

Humanitarian Minister Lazare Zoungrana said Friday that 31,201 people have fled the Seytenga commune and have benefitted from 150,000 tons of relief food and cash handouts.

The army, meanwhile, announced a three-month ban on certain brands of motorcycles and motorized tricycles in parts of eight regions, to help the army distinguish civilians from militants, who are known to travel and raid residents on motorbikes.

“These different measures are taken in the framework of national defense. And we expect collaboration of the populations for the success of the military operations,” said Bamouni.​​​​​​​