Army frees abducted women, babies in Burkina Faso

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso: Soldiers rescued 62 women and four babies abducted by suspected jihadists last week in northern Burkina Faso, state television and a security source said on Friday.

The news came just hours after security sources said a series of attacks on Thursday left about 30 people dead in the volatile West African nation that has been battling a jihadist insurgency since 2015.

The abduction of the women and babies last week prompted alarm from the United Nations, while the country's military junta warned of a rise in jihadist attacks on civilians.

In its main evening news bulletin, Burkina Faso's RTB channel, referring to an army "operation," showed images of the women freed on Friday and brought to the capital Ouagadougou.

Several security sources confirmed the news to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The women and babies were abducted on January 12 and 13 near Arbinda, in the northern Sahel region, as they foraged for food outside their village.

Security sources said they were found in the Tougouri region, 200 kilometers (125 miles) further south. Helicopters flew them to Ouagadougou, where senior army officers met them.

"Their debriefing will allow us to know more about their abductors, their detention and their convoy," one security source said.

The authorities had mobilized search teams both on the ground and in the air to trace the women.

Parts of Burkina Faso, including Sahel, have for months been under a blockade by jihadist groups in the region, making it increasingly difficult to supply the communities there.

The resulting shortages forced local people to leave the safety of their villages to search for food.

Wave of attacks