from MARIA MACHARIA in Nairobi, Kenya
Kenya Bureau
NAIROBI, (CAJ News) – AUTHORITIES have been urged to ensure an independent inquiry into last month’s summary execution of at least 156 civilians by alleged military forces in northern Burkina Faso.
The African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) also ensured the government’s promised investigation was credible and independent insisting all those responsible should be brought to justice.
Human Rights Watch (HRW), stating from Kenya, has appealed after men wearing Burkinabe army uniforms killed 83 men, 28 women, and 45 children, burned homes and looted property in the village of Karma and vicinity in northern Yatenga province.
It is one of the worst massacres in Burkina Faso since 2015 when an insurgency by Islamist armed groups broke out.
Speaking from Nairobi, Carine Kaneza Nantulya, deputy Africa director at HRW, noted Burkina Faso authorities had condemned the massacre in Karma and said there would carry out investigation.
“But if the victims and family members of these gruesome killings are to obtain justice, the international community will need to make sure that the promised investigation is credible and independent and that all those responsible are brought to justice,” Nantulya said.
Communications Minister, Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo, recently condemned the attack and promised the government would “do everything within its prerogatives for the total manifestation of the truth in this dramatic event.”
Killings of civilians by Islamist armed groups and Burkinabè armed forces have spiked since 2022.
The violence has exacerbated a humanitarian crisis, with 5,5 million people needing assistance and nearly 2 million people forced from their homes in the West African country.
A series of coups has exacerbated the crises.
– CAJ News