Yesterday, June 24, an armed attack took place in Burkina Faso, during which 130 people were killed by child soldiers, according to information from the international press. 

Burkina Faso government spokesman Fasso Ousseni Tamboura told reporters that the attackers were “mostly children aged 12 to 14”. The government did not provide further details on the children involved in the attack or which group they belong to.

The announcement comes at a time when 10% of Burkina Faso schools have closed due to growing insecurity, which researchers say makes children more vulnerable to abuse, human trafficking and recruitment.

In 2020 alone, some 2,270 children were recruited into armed groups in Central and West Africa, according to the United Nations.

Also read: Dozens killed in jihadist attack in Contiel, eastern Burkina Faso

The UN report also said that a total of more than 8,500 children were used as soldiers last year in various conflicts around the world and nearly 2,700 others were killed. It reported more than 850 attacks on schools and hospitals.

“This is a serious violation of the fundamental rights of children. We remind you that civilian populations should never be victims or targets of attacks. Families and children must be protected everywhere at all times,” said Sandra Lattouf, UNICEF Representative in Burkina Faso.

“We are concerned about the presence of children in the ranks of the armed groups,” Sandra Lattouf said in a statement on June 24. “While living among gunmen, children experience unusual forms of violence, such as physical and sexual violence or high levels of traumatic experiences.”

At least 138 people were killed in the attack in Solhan village earlier this month.

Local officials in northern Burkina Faso, where jihadists control large areas, said child soldiers had been used by Islamic groups in the past year, but this month’s attack was by far the largest.

Hundreds of people were killed and more than 1.2 million displaced, UNICEF said, many of whom were forced to live in makeshift camps scattered across the arid north, east and hinterland. More than 2,200 schools closed, about one in ten, affecting more than 300,000 children.

Also read: At least 26 terrorists have been killed in two operations in Burkina Faso