The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights asked the transitional authorities in Burkina Faso on Saturday to carry out a „rapid, complete, impartial and transparent” investigation into the massacre of 28 people, France Presse reports.
Volker Turk welcomed the fact that Ouagadougou announced the opening of an investigation, but also wants the authorities to „hold accountable all those responsible, regardless of their position or rank”.
Civilian army auxiliaries have been accused of killing 28 people in Nouna, the capital of Kossi province (northwest), on the night of December 30-31, New Year’s Eve, a massacre that raises fears of a cycle of reprisals between communities in this country hit by jihadist violence since 2015.
The UN human rights office said local sources attributed the massacre to the Volunteers for the Defense of the Fatherland (VDP), a militia made up of army auxiliaries to fight jihadists. According to the statement, the VDP arrived in the city of Nouna, killing 28 people, „apparently in retaliation for the attack on a military base the previous night” committed by alleged jihadists from the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM, JNIM, in Arabic), affiliated with Al Qaeda.
After the massacre, the Collective Against Impunity and Stigmatization of Communities (CISC), a human rights organization in Burkina Faso, also denounced „exacerbations” by the VDP.
The government then indicated that an investigation had been opened „to elucidate the circumstances of the tragedy and to place all responsibilities” and called „the entire population to remain calm” waiting for „light to be shed” on „such unacceptable violence”.
Since 2015, Burkina Faso has faced increasing attacks by jihadist groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. They have killed thousands and displaced at least two million people and are partly at the origin of two military coups in 2022.
The power that emerged from the last coup on September 30 led by Captain Ibrahim Traore launched a campaign in late 2022 to recruit new auxiliaries to help the army fight the jihadists. Out of the estimated need of 50,000, 90,000 people signed up.
Agerpres
