Many killed in an Islamic attack in West Africa: What you need to know

Picture Courtesy: Council on foreign relations, The Washington Post

1. Islamic attacks are increasingly common in regions boarding Mali and Niger.

2. Around 100 people have been killed by armed men in an attack on a village in the north of Burkina Faso, President Roch Kabore has said.

3. Reuters News agency reports quoting a government statement that during the overnight raid on Solhan, homes, and markets were also burned.

4. President Kabore has declared 3 days of national mourning.

5. On Friday night also 14 people were reported to have been killed in the village of Tadaryat, about 150 km to the north of Solhan. Last month, 30 people died in an attack in the east of Burkina Faso.

6. Africa's semi-arid Sahel region has been hit by an insurgency since militants captured large parts of northern Mali in 2012 and 2013.

7. French forces have been supporting troops from Mali, Chad, Mauritania, Niger, and Burkina Faso to fight the militants.

8. Now the Islamic State Group and its affiliates seem to have decided that their priority is now Africa rather than the Middle–East.

9. Two problems may emerge from chaos and violence in the Sahel region, they have made their base from where they can plot their attacks on the world and other migrants from these countries can pose a problem for north Europe.

10. Though multinational efforts are on to stop all this which is challenging it seems that the most efficient strategy will be to prevent them from seizing more areas in this region.