Dozens die in Burkina Faso attacks

Insurgents on motorcycles rode into the town of Arbinda on Christmas Eve, killing at least 35 civilians in an hourslong attack. Security forces in the northern Soum province responded by killing at least 80 of the attackers. An ambush on Christmas Day left at least 11 soldiers in an army patrol dead in the same province.

Did Christmas gatherings go on as usual? Burkinabe President Roch Marc Christian Kabore canceled Christmas celebrations and declared two days of national mourning. No group claimed responsibility, but such violence is not uncommon in the country that has recorded an alarming rise in terror attacks in recent years.

Dig deeper: Read my report on how Christians in Burkina Faso continue to worship and pray amid the rising insurgency in the country’s north and east.