At least 150 civilians may have died in attack on Burkina Faso village, says UN

At least 150 civilians may have been killed and many more injured in an attack allegedly perpetrated by Burkina Faso’s security forces, the UN high commissioner for human rights has said.

In a statement on Tuesday, the commissioner, Ravina Shamdasani, called for a prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigation into what it called the “horrific killing of civilians” in the village of Karma, in northern Yatenga province.

On Monday, Burkina Faso’s prosecutor said it had opened an investigation into the killings but put the death toll at 60, less than half the number estimated by the UN and local people.

According to a statement released on Tuesday by locals from Karma, the attack last Thursday began when a large group of armed men in military fatigues entered the town on motorcycles and armoured pickup trucks.

“Some villagers, happy to see ‘our soldiers’, came out of their houses to welcome them. Unfortunately, this joy was cut short when the first shots rang out, also causing the first casualties,” said the statement from the villagers.

Jihadi fighters linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State have waged a violent insurgency in Burkina Faso for seven years. The violence has killed thousands of people and divided the country, leading to two coups last year.

Since Capt Ibrahim Traore seized power in September 2022 during the second coup, extrajudicial killings of civilians have increased, according to rights groups and residents.

This incident – one of the deadliest against civilians by security forces – comes amid mounting allegations that the military is committing abuses against those it believes to be supporting the jihadis.

Earlier this month, Burkina Faso’s government announced it was opening other investigations into allegations of human rights abuses by its security forces, after a video surfaced that appeared to show the extrajudicial killing of seven children in the country’s north.

The Associated Press this month published its own findings about the video. AP’s investigation determined that Burkina Faso’s security forces killed the children in a military base outside the town of Ouahigouya.

Days before last week’s attack, about 40 security personnel were killed near Ouahigouya. Survivors said the soldiers accused them of being jihadi accomplices, by letting them pass through their town, according to the statement from the villagers.

Since the violence, people in the community have not been able to bury their relatives as an army roadblock prevented them reaching the village, said the statement.

Conflict analysts said the alleged abuses would create a backlash against Burkina Faso’s junta and drive people into the hands of the jihadis.

“The reported human rights abuses advance the playbook of militants, it gives them talking points against the security forces and helps their recruitment efforts in the north. This is an awful recipe of consequences,” said Laith Alkhouri, the CEO of Intelonyx Intelligence Advisory, which provides intelligence analysis.