Her sons were killed by Islamist militants. She’s among thousands who had to flee

Warning: Readers may find some of the content distressing Sitting in a dim room at a refugee camp in Ivory Coast, Yameogo Aminata, 57, is haunted by memories of the murder of her four sons by jihadists in her home country, Burkina Faso. In 2022, she was away from her home when the armed insurgents – who have been terrorising communities in central Burkina Faso for almost 15 years – struck. The jihadists had forcefully taken over her village, seizing cattle and land, and killing many residents – including her sons aged between 25 and 32.

“They slit the throats of four of my children,” she told the BBC, her body shaking as emotions overwhelmed her. Aminata said she grabbed a knife to fight back, but was overpowered, beaten, thrown into the bush, and left with severe injuries to her head, shoulder and throat. She said her daughter got separated from her during the attack, and she has been missing since then.

In 2023, Aminata fled to Nioronigué camp in neighbouring Ivory Coast, keeping the bloodied clothes from that day as a grim reminder. “I don’t know how to handle my life. I have nothing,” she told the BBC.