France24 reported on 29 June 2021 that two members of the al Qaeda-affiliated "˜Group to Support Islam and Muslims" (GSIM), the biggest jihadist alliance in the Sahel, were arrested on Friday 25 June 2021. It is believed they were involved in the attack on the village of Solhan by an armed group reportedly made up of mostly 12-14 year olds. That attack on 4 June 2021 resulted in the death of at least 160 civilians according to BBC News reporting on 6 June 2021. World Watch Research analyst Yonas Dembele comments: "Armed attacks by Islamic militants in the Sahel region - particularly in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger - have increased drastically in recent months with incidents targeting civilians occurring almost on a daily basis. The attack on the village of Solhan was the bloodiest so far in Burkina Faso's six-year struggle against the jihadist insurgency. The GSIM has been responsible for previous attacks along the border with Niger and has made incursions into Niger and Benin. The arrest of the suspects is a positive development in the fight against jihadists and is also an important step towards ending impunity for militant groups who persecute Christians." Yonas adds: "In addition to the attacks, the international community must also focus on the issue of children being recruited by the jihadists.‚  This is fundamentally in violation of international laws."