27 apr 2024 om 14:23 Update: 1 uur geleden
Burkina Faso’s army executed 223 villagers in the northern province of Yatenga in February, human rights organization Human Rights Watch said in a report. The broadcasts of the BBC and an American broadcaster have been interrupted by the government.
According to Human Rights Watch, the army suspects the executed civilians of collaboration with jihadist militants. There are at least 56 children among the 223 citizens.
There have been two coups in Burkina Faso in 2022. In the second, the army seized power. The army promised to tackle jihadist groups in the country. The jihadists often have ties to Al Qaeda and Islamic State.
According to witnesses quoted in the report, soldiers went door to door, rounding up people and executing them. The bodies were buried in a mass grave.
Human Rights Watch launched the investigation after a local prosecutor reported the executions on March 1. The villages of Komsilga, Nodin and Soro were attacked by “unidentified attackers”, the prosecutor wrote.
The investigation into the attack went smoothly, writes BBC News. The government of Burkina Faso did not respond to contact requests from the human rights organization. The telephone number for the Ministry of Defense on its own website turned out not to exist.
For the report, the human rights organization interviewed 23 people, including witnesses, local activists and international organizations. Human Rights Watch also analyzed footage taken by survivors.
BBC and American broadcaster in black for two weeks
The government of Burkina Faso has banned the BBC and the American broadcaster Voice of America for two weeks because of their reporting on the massacre, writes BBC News.
BBC broadcasts have been halted and the media organizations’ websites will be blacked out for two weeks, officials say.
The BBC said in a statement that the broadcaster will continue to cover developments in the region “without fear or bias”.
