A human rights NGO in Burkina Faso has accused the army of killing at least 25 civilians in the east of the country this week.
Among the victims, there are women and a baby according to a statement sent this Friday, February 3 to AFP.
Neither the army nor the government of Burkina Faso initially reacted to these accusations.
Eastern Burkina is one of the regions most affected by the violence of jihadist groups, fought by the army and its auxiliaries.
Summary executions of civilians
On Wednesday evening, February 1, "
the Collective against impunity and the stigmatization of communities (CISC) was seized by several relatives of victims
" reporting "
allegations of summary executions of civilians which would be attributed to bodies of the of Burkinabe defense and security (FDS) in the localities of Piega, Sakoani, and Kankangou
”, indicates a press release from the CISC received on Friday February 3 by AFP.
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These executions would have taken place during the passage in these three localities located along the National Road 4 (RN4) of a convoy of "
more than a hundred vehicles
" leaving Wednesday for the Boungou gold mine and "
escorted by dozens of 4x4 pick-up vehicles which carried several FDS in
military uniform, according to the CISC.
Twelve dead (including three women and a baby) are mentioned in the village of Sakoani, about 125 km from Fada N'Gourma, capital of the Eastern region, seven (including four women) in the village of Piega in 60 km from Fada N'Gourma, and six in the hamlet of Kankangou on the territory of the village of Sampiéri, according to the CISC.
Residents of Sakoani contacted by AFP, testified to the discovery of "
eleven bodies
" without life after the passage of the convoy.
"
The toll continues to grow as information reaches us from the field
," according to the CISC.
According to the NGO, consistent testimonies describe the victims as “
unarmed civilians
”.
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End of these “crimes against humanity”
Demanding an end to these "
crimes against humanity
", the CISC claims to continue "
collecting information in order to be able to bring all those responsible and their sponsors to justice
" and has called for "
the opening of an independent and impartial on these crimes
.
Other cases of extrajudicial executions are regularly reported by the populations of several regions of Burkina, affirms the CISC.
On New Year's Eve, civilian army auxiliaries were accused of killing 28 people in northwestern Burkina.
Burkina Faso has been confronted since 2015 with increasing attacks by jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
They have left thousands dead and at least two million displaced and are partly behind two military coups in 2022.
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