The authorities of Burkina Faso have announced the opening of an investigation after the discovery of the bodies of about 30 people in the town of Nouna, located in the northwest of the country, with no information so far on the responsibility and motives for the killings.
The Burkinabe government said in a statement that the murders were allegedly committed during the night of December 30-31 and said that «the first information obtained indicates that 28 people were killed».
«An investigation was immediately opened by the competent judicial authorities to elucidate the circumstances of this tragedy and to determine responsibilities», it said, before asking the population to «calm down».
He noted that «all the necessary steps have been taken to shed light on this unacceptable violence», and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.
«This drama is taking place at a time when Burkina Faso is embarking on an operation to mobilize the entire population for unity of action in the fight against terrorism. These events in Nouna must not divert us from this priority objective of unity in the diversity of the sons and daughters of our nation for the homeland and freedom,» he said.
In this sense, he reiterated his «firm commitment to ensure the protection of all Burkinabe, without distinction», and conveyed to the population that «he is opposed to any form of abuse or violation of human rights, for whatever reason».
For its part, the Public Prosecutor’s Office stressed that it has ordered the Judicial Police to go to the site to «carry out the necessary findings» and added that «most of the victims, all male, were shot».
«While inviting restraint to the population, we guarantee that we will open an investigation to identify and arrest the perpetrators of these acts of incredible gravity. All necessary actions will be taken to bring the perpetrators to justice,» he concluded.
The Collective against Impunity and Stigmatization of Communities (CISC) said in a statement on its Facebook social network account that the attack was allegedly carried out by dozos – members of the Dogon community – «identified by the victims as part of the ‘volunteers'» who would have carried out «a reprisal» following an attack on their main base in the area.
«This unfortunate situation deserves special attention from the new authorities, at the risk of falling back into the same mistakes made by the previous ones. Armed terrorist groups take advantage of this type of excesses within the populations to ensure their recruitment,» the organization said.
The Dogon and the Fulani — also known as Peul — have been involved in numerous armed clashes in recent years in Burkina Faso and other countries in the region. The Dozo hunters accuse members of this community of being members of jihadist groups operating in the area because these groups – including affiliates of Al Qaeda and Islamic State – have taken advantage of the discontent and traditional marginalization of the Peul to swell their ranks.
Burkina Faso, ruled by a military junta since the January 2022 coup against the then president, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, has experienced increased insecurity since 2015. The junta is now headed by Ibrahim Traoré, who staged an uprising in September that was considered a ‘palace coup’ against the hitherto leader, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.
The attacks, the work of both Al Qaeda and Islamic State affiliates in the region, have also contributed to an increase in inter-community violence and have led to the flourishing of self-defense groups, to which the Burkinabe government has added ‘volunteers’. The deteriorating security situation has led to a wave of internally displaced persons and refugees to other countries in the region.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
