A group of young boys carried out the deadliest massacre that Burkina Faso has suffered in the six-year conflict since extremists invaded the nation. The attack in early June in the northeastern village of Solhan claimed at least 138 lives. The attackers were mostly between the ages of 12 and 14.
Burkina Faso’s schools have closed due to rising insecurity, which makes children more vulnerable to combat recruitment, abuse and human trafficking. More than 300,000 children have lost access to education as classrooms closed nationwide from March to June of last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020 alone, it is expected that 3,270 children were recruited into armed groups in central and West Africa according to the UN.
Read more:Child soldiers carried out attack that killed at least 138 people in Burkina Faso, officials say
