An investigation was opened after the “broadcast on social networks of a video of mutilation of a human body by individuals dressed in military uniforms of the national armed forces (FAN)” of Burkina Faso, indicated the general staff, Sunday November 10, in a press release. “The competent services have been contacted in order to determine the authenticity and origin of this video, as well as the identities of the people concerned so that they can be held accountable for their actions, if the facts are proven”he continued. On the video, nothing allows us to identify the place, the date or the actors, some of whom are wearing military uniforms.
Also read the column | Journalists disappeared in Burkina Faso: “The authorities must come out of their guilty silence”
Read later
In July, the Burkinabe army condemned acts of mutilation of corpses seen in videos widely relayed on social networks, perpetrated by people suspected of being soldiers and Volunteers for the Defense of the Fatherland (VDP, civilian auxiliaries ). The Mali army also stood out from a video showing similar acts of men in the uniform and insignia of the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa).
“This unspeakable act is contrary to the military and moral values instilled in FAN personnel as well as the VDP and transgresses the rules of engagement of units on the ground”indicated the general staff on Sunday. According to him, “all operations to reconquer national territory are carried out with the greatest respect for human rights”.
Regularly accused of extrajudicial executions, the Burkinabe army has always denied them, sometimes pointing to armed groups using military equipment. Human Rights Watch has criticized the army several times. In April, the NGO accused her of having executed at least 223 civilians, including 56 children at the end of February in the north of the country.
Also read the decryption | In Burkina Faso, Captain Traoré’s junta attacks the families of its opponents
Read later
Burkina Faso, ruled by a military regime, is facing deadly jihadist attacks. Since 2015, this violence attributed to armed movements affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group has left more than 26,000 dead, including more than 13,500 since the September 2022 coup that brought the country to power. captain Ibrahim Traoré. They have also caused more than 2 million internal displacements. Ibrahim Traoré had promised to make the fight against terrorism his ” priority “.
Senegal
