Burkina Faso’s military has ordered civilians to evacuate two large military interest zones in its northern and southeastern regions ahead of anticipated operations against Islamist insurgents, reported Reuters.
On Monday, Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, the president of Burkina Faso’s transitional government, convened the High Council of National Defence (CSDN) to discuss the security situation in the country.
The announcement was made late on Monday. Details about when people will have to evacuate or where they should go have not yet been revealed.
“The CSDN has decided to create two zones of military interest, notably in the eastern and Sahel (northern) regions,” said the commander of national operations, Lieutenant-colonel Yves-Didier Bamouni, on state TV.
One of the concerned military zones is about 2,000 square kilometres (772 square miles) rural area that borders Mali in the northern province of Soum.
The other zone covers about 11,000 square kilometres on Burkina Faso’s southern border with Benin and is mostly national parkland. The zone covers the reserves of Arli, Kourtiagou, Madjoari, Pama, Singou and W National Park.
Mr Bamouni said that human activities that risk exposure to the effects of the military operations which will be conducted shortly are prohibited.
He explained that the decision was taken for greater efficiency in the fight against the terrorist hydra. He ensured that a time period will be granted to the resident populations to move to more secure areas.
Burkina Faso’s national operations commander also warned that any member of the armed forces who abandons his position or his equipment will have to face disciplinary and criminal proceedings.
Burkina Faso has been struggling to control militant insurgency, some linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State, since 2015. The fighting has already displaced over 1.85 million people within Burkina Faso.
More than 80 people were killed in the northern commune of Seytenga earlier this month in the country’s second-deadliest attack ever.
