A Swiss citizen has been arrested in Burkina Faso, Switzerland’s foreign ministry says

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — A Swiss citizen has been arrested in Burkina Faso, Swiss authorities said on Wednesday, as the West African nation governed by a military junta continues to sever its ties with the West. The citizen’s identity was not immediately released.

The Swiss foreign ministry told The Associated Press it was aware of the arrest, adding that “for reasons of data and privacy protection, no further details can be provided.”

The military government of Burkina Faso did not respond to a request for comment.

The landlocked nation of 20 million people has been ravaged in the past eight years by violence from extremist groups loosely affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State organization, and from fighting between government forces and the militants. At least 100 villagers and soldiers were killed in central Burkina Faso last weekend during an attack by al-Qaida-linked jihadis in what analysts described as one of the deadliest assaults this year.

The country went through two coups in 10 months, the second last year, after which the military junta expelled French forces and turned to Russia for security support. However, the junta has struggled to contain the security and humanitarian crisis.

By MONIKA PRONCZUK
Associated Press