Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 1st June. UN High human rights official on Friday Volker Türk on Friday voiced serious concern over the dramatic deteriorating situation in Burkina Faso, where 1,800 people are reported to have been unlawfully killed between November last year and April.
OHCHR said that allegations of responsibility point to both armed groups and State actors.
Volker Türk in a statement issued in New York said that “While armed groups are presumed responsible for the vast majority of incidents and victims and should be held accountable, I am also deeply disturbed that security and defence forces and their auxiliaries, the Volontaires pour la défense de la patrie, allegedly carried out wanton killings, including summary executions”.
The reported killings were the alleged violations and abuses affecting 2,732 individuals in the West African country between November 2023 and April 2024.
That figure was a sharp spike of 71 per cent compared to the previous six months, OHCHR reported.
According to the UN human rights office, armed groups, such as Jamāʿat nuṣrat al-islām wal-muslimīn, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara and other similar organizations, have stepped up their attacks against civilians, including internally displaced people.
State forces are also alleged to be behind the violence, it added..
The office noted that in one abhorrent incident, over 220 civilians, including 56 children, were reportedly killed in attacks allegedly carried out by the military in two villages in the north on a single day in late February.
Burkina Faso has been under military rule since early 2022 amid an insurgency by extremist militants which triggered a series of coups and counter coups.
Capt. Ibrahim Traoré was named transitional president in September 2022, and the transitional government has continued to battle insurgents and reported counter-coup attempts.
The highly volatile situation, over 6 million Burkinabè, out of a total population of 20 million have been left dependent on humanitarian assistance.
“I fully appreciate the complex security threats that Burkina Faso is facing. A response to these threats will only succeed if international law is fully respected throughout. I therefore reiterate my call to the authorities in Burkina Faso to take all possible measures to ensure the protection of civilians,” Türk said.
He urged the Government to support a thorough, independent and transparent investigation into all allegations of violations and abuses of international law, and to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice through legal due process.
“There must be justice and accountability if the authorities are to reassure the population, restore social cohesion and rebuild trust between civilians and the security forces,” Mr. Türk added.
He had raised his concerns on the situation in Burkina Faso with Government officials, including President Traoré, during a visit to the country in March, the OHCHR concluded.
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