Some of the women abducted last week in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso have managed to escape to their homes in the town of Arbinda. The dozens of women were reportedly abducted by jihadist armed groups.
One of the survivors told media that she, along with her baby strapped to her back and a few other kidnapped women and girls, managed to flee the jihadist militants through thickets.
The 20-year-old, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that the terrorists linked to Daesh* and al-Qaeda* abducted her while she was scouring the bush for food near the town.
“The next morning they assembled us again... It was at this moment that some of us decided to take a risk. Those who were lucky managed to escape,” the woman recalled, noting that her 40-year-old mother was among those who are still in the hands of the militants.
Another escapee narrated that the jihadists divided the captured women into groups and forced them to shepherd stolen sheep to disguise their activities.
“I managed to hide in a ravine with another (woman),” the second survivor said, adding, “We got back to the village at nightfall. Others returned the following morning.”
Another survivor said that she “cannot sleep” when she thinks of the other abducted women and girls who remained in the militant's hands until now.
“I don't know what their fate will be. Will they survive?” she wondered.
Last week, authorities in Burkina Faso confirmed that unknown armed groups abducted at least 50 women and girls in the surrounding towns.
On Tuesday, Burkinabe President Captain Ibrahim Traore said that extremists are switching tactics to focus on civilians, noting that their attacks across the country have increased since October 2022.
Later in the day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the abduction and called for the women's immediate safe return, urging local authorities to spare no efforts in bringing those responsible for this crime to justice.
Authorities in Burkina Faso have been trying to curb terrorism since 2015. The country is part of the highly destabilized African Sahel region, known to be a hotbed for terrorist activities and banditry. Over the past year, Burkina Faso saw a number of political crises reportedly caused by the government’s failure to address the ongoing insecurity in the country among other things, with two governments subsequently overthrown over the course of nine months.
* Daesh and Al-Qaeda are terrorist organizations banned in Russia and many other countries around the world.