Burkinabe President Roch Kaboré has called on opposition and civil society groups to cancel planned nationwide protests against rising insecurity in the country.
In a televised address to the nation, Mr Kaboré said the protests scheduled for 3 and 4 July will not “put an end to the terrorism” that has plagued the country since 2015.
“Neither the marches, the insidious publications on social media nor the calls to question our dearly acquired democracy will make it possible to put an end to terrorism in our country”, he said.
His remarks came a day after thousands of protesters took to the streets of the north-eastern city of Kaya to demand more government protection against militant attacks and the departure of foreign troops.
On 4 June, at least 130 people were killed in the north-eastern village of Solhan by unknown assailants.
Militants linked to the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda have claimed several deadly attacks in the country since the mid-2010s.
