50 women abducted by Islamic Militants in Burkina Faso

New Delhi: Some 50 women were abducted by jihadis in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso as they went out to find food for their families amid shortages due to militant blockades of the villages late last week.

The Burkinabe government confirmed the kidnappings in the Northern province of Soum on Monday. It said the incidents occurred on January 12 and 13, and that a search for the women was underway.

The officials said that women were kidnapped by armed jihadis as women were out to pick wild fruit outside the village of Liki, some 15 kilometres southeast of the town of Arbinda as there is a food shortage.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations strongly condemns the abduction of some 50 women and girls in the surroundings of Arbinda, in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso, reportedly by unidentified armed groups.

The Secretary-General calls for the immediate and unconditional release of the abducted women and girls and for their safe return to their families.

The Secretary-General urges the Burkinabé authorities to spare no efforts in bringing those responsible for this crime to justice.

The Islamist insurgency which crossed into Burkina Faso from neighbouring Mali in 2015 has seen occasional kidnappings of Westerners and locals. However, this is believed to be the first mass kidnapping of women in the landlocked west African country, among the poorest in the world.

Thousands have been killed and nearly 2 million have been displaced in Burkina Faso due to violence linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group in recent years. The deteriorating security situation fueled two military coups last year alone.