A week after the massacre of 28 people in Burkina Faso, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Saturday called on the transitional authorities to conduct a “rapid, complete, impartial and transparent” investigation. Volker Türk is also pleased that Ouagadougou has announced the opening of an investigation but also wants the authorities to “hold all those responsible accountable, regardless of their position or rank”.
Army auxiliaries were accused of having killed 28 people in Nouna, capital of Kossi province (north-west), on the night of December 30 to 31, New Year’s Eve. I sent a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasizing this exact message” because “the victims and their loved ones deserve no less”, added the UN official in a press release.
Retaliation after the attack on a military base
The UN human rights office said its local sources attributed the deaths to the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), a militia made up of army auxiliaries to fight the jihadists. According to the statement, the VDPs arrived in the town of Nouna, killing 28 people “in apparent retaliation for the attack on a military base the previous night” by suspected jihadists from the Support Group for Islam and Muslims ( GSIM, JNIM in Arabic), affiliated with Al-Qaida.
After the massacre, the Collective against Impunity and the stigmatization of communities (CISC), a human rights organization in Burkina, also denounced “exactions” committed by VDPs. “Following a terrorist attack allegedly suffered by the VDP headquarters in Nouna […] Dozos [chasseurs traditionnels] armed men, identified by the victims as being VDPs, carried out murderous actions in retaliation, ”assured the Collective.
The government then indicated that an investigation had been opened “to elucidate the circumstances of the tragedy and place all the responsibilities” and called “the whole population to calm” while waiting for “all the light” to be shed “on such unacceptable violence.
Thousands dead and two million displaced
Burkina Faso has been confronted since 2015 with increasing attacks by jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. They have left thousands dead and at least two million displaced and are partly behind two military coups in 2022. 2022 a campaign to recruit new auxiliaries to help the army in its fight against the jihadists. Of the needs estimated at 50,000, 90,000 people have registered. The VDPs currently receive 14 days of civic and military training before being armed and equipped with means of communication.
The UN High Commissioner had already “expressed his concerns directly to the authorities because of the possible risks for human rights linked to the recruitment, arming and deployment of auxiliaries in Burkina Faso”, underlines the press release. of Saturday. He underlined the “urgent need to strengthen vetting procedures and pre-deployment training on human and humanitarian rights”.