Burkina Faso authorities have arrested more than 30 adults after they allegedly carried out botched female genital mutilation on nearly 60 infants and girls who needed hospital treatment.
Viviane Ursule Sanou, head of the National Secretariat against Circumcision, said the banned procedure was carried out on girls and young women ranging from 10 months to 24 years old in the capital, Ouagadougou, Kaya in the north and two towns in the central east.
She says because the practice is illegal, many people carry out the circumcisions in secret.
All of the victims have been admitted to hospitals for treatment of bleeding and infection.
Burkina Faso adopted measures banning female circumcision in the early 1990s.
Offenders can face up to 10 years in prison and severe fines if found guilty.
Associated Press
