OUAGADOUGOU - At least 18 civilians have been killed by unidentified gunmen in northern Burkina Faso, according to security sources, in the latest violence to rock a region plagued by a swiftly deteriorating security situation.
Heavily armed men on motorbikes on Saturday attacked Lamdamol village in the Bani municipality, north of the capital, Ouagadougou, a security source told AFP news agency on Monday.
A local health official, speaking from the town of Dori in the north, said the village's chief nurse was among the victims.
"There is panic in the village and the surrounding area," the official told AFP, saying local people were fleeing towards the centre of the country.
But with the Barkhane operation so far producing scant results in stemming the security crisis, there are concerns that a continuation of France's military strategy alone will not bring a swift end to the violence. Instead, a return to peace would require addressing the worsening humanitarian crisis and development challenges, as well as meeting political goals, analysts say. (Aljazeera)