Around 150 civilians were killed in Karma, northern Yatenga province, when a group of men in military uniform surrounded the village, opened fire and later proceeded to loot shops, homes and mosques. The perpetrators were believed to be members of the defence and security forces accompanied by paramilitary auxiliaries known as Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland (VDP).[1] A spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ravina Shamdasani, indicated there was credible information that the attackers accused village residents of sheltering members of Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslim (JNIM),[2] a non-state actor affiliated with the Islamic State, and various other non-state actors, as the massacre took place just days after an attack attributed to the group on a VDP base where eight soldiers and 32 members of the VDP were killed.[3] The VDP is believed to control 40% of the country, though control has come at a heavy price, with a number of VDP members killed in fighting in 2023, and renewed calls for general mobilisation of the population to bolster the VDP.[4] The country’s prosecutor indicated that they launched an investigation into the massacre, however, they put the death toll at 60,[5] less than half of what other reports indicated, and said that those responsible were not security forces but others wearing their uniforms.[6]
Attacks by security forces on civilians have increased since the military coup in September 2022.[7] In November 2022, at least 50 civilians were killed in Soum Province, and on 30 December at least 28 people were killed in Nouna, in Kossi Province.[8] More recently, a video of men in military uniform executing seven boys went viral on social media. Research by the Associated Press indicated that the perpetrators accused the boys of being JNIM members and that the killings took place just days after an attack by militants on a VDP post in February 2023.[9] The government says they have opened investigations into human rights violations by the security forces, but the result of these investigations is yet to be determined. Conflict analysts fear that the violations will create a backlash against the junta and motivate further involvement and recruitment into Islamist groups.[10]
After a string of attacks from Islamist extremist groups targeting security forces, the military junta declared a “general mobilisation” to give the state “all necessary means” to combat the terrorist attacks through recruitment into the VDP. The details of the plan were not disclosed, but up to 5,000 more soldiers may be recruited and a federal state of emergency in the affected territories declared.[11] Authorities also issued a vague advisory giving the president “the right to requisition people, goods and services and the right to restrain certain civil liberties”.[12] These measures may put civilians in an even more vulnerable situation, especially in a context where targeting civilians has been on the rise.
[1] OCHA, “Burkina Faso: Killing of Civilians,” 25 April 2023, https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2023/04/burkina-faso-killing-civilians
[2] OCHA, “Burkina Faso: Killing of Civilians,” 25 April 2023, https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2023/04/burkina-faso-killing-civilians
[3] Le Monde, “Burkina Faso’s surge in violence highlights limits of junta’s counterterrorism strategy,” 19 April 2023, https://www.lemonde.fr/en/le-monde-africa/article/2023/04/19/burkina-faso-s-surge-in-violence-highlights-limits-of-junta-s-counterterrorism-strategy_6023513_124.html
[4] Ibid.
[5] The Guardian, “Sixty killed in Burkina Faso village by raiders ‘wearing military uniforms’,” 24 April 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/24/sixty-killed-in-burkina-faso-village-by-raiders-wearing-military-uniforms
[6] APA news, “Burkina probes army ‘abuses against civilians’;” 24 April 2023, https://apanews.net/2023/04/24/burkina-probes-army-abuses-against-civilians/
[7] ACLED, dashboard, https://acleddata.com/dashboard/#/dashboard
[8] OCHA, “Burkina Faso: Killing of Civilians,” 25 April 2023, https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2023/04/burkina-faso-killing-civilians
[9] Africa News, “Troops film boys’ killings in Burkina Faso,” 3 April 2023, https://www.africanews.com/2023/04/03/troops-film-boys-killings-in-burkina-faso//
[10] Associated Press, “Mass killing of civilians by security forces in Burkina Faso,” 25 April 2023, https://apnews.com/article/burkina-faso-human-rights-abuses-jihadis-89b8d3324a3cb0232c680757f012bc2d
[11] France 24, “’General mobilisation’ declared in Burkina Faso after series of terrorist attacks,” 14 April 2023, https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20230413-general-mobilisation-declared-in-burkina-faso-after-series-of-jihadist-attacks
[12] France 24, “’General mobilisation’ declared in Burkina Faso after series of terrorist attacks,” 14 April 2023, https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20230413-general-mobilisation-declared-in-burkina-faso-after-series-of-jihadist-attacks
