Burkina Faso President Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba is surrounded by soldiers, as he arrives to motivate his troops, after armed men killed civilians and militaries over the weekend in Seytenga, at airport in Dori, Burkina Faso June 15, 2022. Burkina Faso's Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY./File PhotoOUAGADOUGOU, June 21 (Reuters) - Burkina Faso's army has ordered civilians to evacuate two large "military interest zones" in its northern and southeastern regions ahead of anticipated operations against Islamist insurgents, it said. "All human activities that risk exposure to the effects of the military operations which will be conducted shortly are prohibited," said commander of national operations, Lieutenant-colonel Yves-Didier Bamouni, on state TV. More than 1.85 million people are already displaced within Burkina Faso because of the fighting. One of the military zones is a rural area of about 2,000 square kilometres (772 square miles) bordering Mali in the northern province of Soum.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 21, 2022 14:48 UTC