Solhan and Tadaryat massacres

In the evening of 4 June 2021, 13 civilians and a soldier were killed in an attack in the village of Tadaryat, located 150 km (93 mi) to the north of Solhan.[1] The attackers also raided the community's motorbikes and cattle.[2][3]

Hours later in the early morning of 5 June 2021, insurgents attacked Solhan village in Burkina Faso, killing at least 160 civilians, including 20 children, and wounding 40 others.[4][5][6][7] Around 2 am, the attackers, mounted on around 20 motorcycles, targeted first the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), an anti-jihadist civilian defense force, before they burned homes and a market.[7][8][9] A nearby mine was also attacked, Solhan being a centre for gold mining.[7] The attackers left around dawn, some three hours before police response forces arrived in the village.[7] Upon leaving the village the attackers left a number of improvised explosive devices on the roads leading into the village. These were disarmed by engineers from the Burkinabé army in the following days.[10]

The attacks are thought to have been the deadliest in Burkina Faso for five years.[6] Many of the survivors fled to Sebba, the capital of Yagha province, some 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Solhan.[11] The dead from Solhan have been buried in three mass graves by local residents.[4]

According to government spokesman Ousseni Tamboura, the attack in Solhan was carried out primarily by child soldiers between the ages of 12 and 14.[12]

The government blamed terrorists for the attack; however no group has since claimed responsibility for the massacre.[13] The president, Roch Kaboré, issued a statement of condolences about the attack stating; "I bow before the memory of the hundreds of civilians killed in this barbaric attack and extend my condolences to the families of the victims."[2] Kaboré cancelled a planned trip to Lomé, Togo because of the incidents.[14]

A 72-hour period of national mourning was declared by the government.[15] Some women in the country planned to wear all white on 7 June 2021 as a mark of respect for those killed.[14] The Burkinabé National Police have redeployed units in response to the massacres and in anticipation of further attacks.[16]

António Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, who have thousands of peacekeepers stationed in the country, stated that he was "outraged" by the attacks.[5] Pope Francis mentioned the Solhan massacre in his Angelus prayers and stated that Africa needs peace and not violence.[17]

Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin denied responsibility for the attack and condemned it.[18]

• List of terrorist incidents in 2021