At least 44 people killed by jihadis in Burkina Faso’s north

By SAM MEDNICK
Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Burkina Faso’s government says that at least 44 people were killed by Islamic extremists in multiple attacks in the country’s north. The government said Saturday that jihadis attacked Kourakou and Tondobi villages in Seno province. The West African nation has been overrun by jihadi violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group that has killed thousands and displaced 2 million people over six years. Fighting has frustrated the population, leading to two military coups last year with each junta leader vowing to stem the attacks. But the violence is intensifying and spreading as jihadis blockade villages, preventing hundreds of thousands of people from moving freely.