The government of Burkina Faso deplored Tuesday that a "search operation" of its security forces had caused injuries in a Malian refugee camp in the north of the country. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Monday condemned violence by Burkinabè security forces against Malian refugees - whom they accused of "complicity" with jihadist attackers - in the Mentao camp, near Djibo, having made "32 wounded" Saturday.
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"The mop-up operation" was carried out in the camp "following an attack on four elements of the Djibo gendarmerie brigade, which left one dead and one missing," said the press release. - word of the government, Rémis Dandjinou. "It encountered resistance from some refugees, causing incidents", a situation which "unfortunately resulted in injuries," he continues. "The government deplores such a situation and undertakes to open an investigation to establish the responsibilities of both parties, " said Rémis Dandjinou, also Minister of Communication.
According to the UNHCR, which is based on refugee testimonies, the Burkinabè security forces struck "with a baton, belt and rope (...) of men and boys" from the Mentao camp, which shelters 6,500 refugees Malians. "The government will take all measures to prevent such acts from happening again against refugees" , and it "denies any information on a possible ultimatum given to refugees to leave the camp," said Rémis Dandjinou. According to the UNHCR, the security forces had ordered the refugees "to leave the camp within 72 hours, under penalty of death".
Burkinabè security forces, as well as those from neighboring countries, Mali and Niger, who fight against jihadist groups, are regularly accused of atrocities, including extrajudicial executions, against civilians. On April 20, Human Rights Watch accused the Burkinabe security forces of executing 31 residents of Djibo "during a brutal travesty of counterterrorism" on April 9. On April 30, the UN Mission in Mali, Minusma, denounced 101 extrajudicial executions in the first quarter in Mali by the Malian security forces, plus more than 30 committed by the Nigerien army on Malian territory. Jihadist violence mixed with inter-community conflicts, which affect the entire Sahel, claimed a total of 4,000 lives in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso in 2019, according to the UN. Burkina Faso has more than 800 dead and nearly 860,000 displaced since 2015.