More than half a million children in Burkina Faso are unable to go to school because of attacks by extremists, the government said on Wednesday.
Armed extremists have forced the closure of 3,280 schools – nearly one in seven nationwide – affecting 511,221 students and 14,901 teachers, government spokesman Alkassoum Maiga said after a cabinet meeting.
For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The landlocked Sahel state has been battling extremist insurgents since 2015, when militants started to mount cross-border raids from neighboring Mali.
More than 2,000 people have died, according to a toll compiled by AFP.
The national emergency aid body Conasure says that 1.5 million people, nearly two-thirds of them children, were internally displaced as of November 30.
Read more:
At least 18 militia fighters killed in DR Congo: Army
Around 30 killed in extremist attack on eastern Burkina Faso town
French soldier dies while on duty in Burkina Faso
