The UN Human Rights Office wants a comprehensive and impartial inquiry into the recent tragic civilian killings in Burkina Faso, and “those guilty should be called to account.”
Today (April 25)) in Geneva, UN Human Rights Office spokesman Ravina Shamdasani said: According to reports, 150 people were murdered and many more injured. Looting followed. On April 20, Ouahigouya residents heard gunfire around 7 a.m., three hours after seeing men in military fatigues on motorbikes and cars heading into Karma.
On April 23, the Ouahigouya public prosecutor reported 60 deaths and an inquiry into the incident. Shamdasani said this UNHCR inquiry “must be fast, comprehensive, independent, and impartial and must result in credible convictions if such heinous crimes are to cease.” The province governor reported eight troops and 32 VDPs dead and nearly 30 injured in an attack on a VDP base on April 15.
According to credible sources, the assailants accused the village inhabitants of hiding Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslim, an Islamic State affiliate, and other non-state armed organisations.
The military and VDPs have attacked civilians multiple times in recent months.
In 2015, terrorist warfare from Mali ravaged Burkina Faso. The insurgency has killed thousands and displaced two million people.
