Burkina Faso's army massacred over 200 civilians in a village raid, Human Rights Watch says
Source: Associated Press
Burkina Faso’s army massacred over 200 civilians in a village raid, Human Rights Watch says
BY JESSICA DONATI
Updated 5:29 PM EDT, April 25, 2024
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Military forces in Burkina Faso killed 223 civilians, including babies and many children, in attacks on two villages accused of cooperating with militants, Human Rights Watch said in a report published Thursday.
The mass killings took place on Feb. 25 in the country’s northern villages of Nondin and Soro, and some 56 children were among the dead, according to the report. The human rights organization called on the United Nations and the African Union to provide investigators and to support local efforts to bring those responsible to justice.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the United Nations didn’t have any confirmation of the attack, but added: “I can tell you that these reports are extremely, extremely disturbing and we will be looking into them.”
“The massacres in Nondin and Soro villages are just the latest mass killings of civilians by the Burkina Faso military in their counterinsurgency operations,” Human Rights Watch Executive Director Tirana Hassan said in a statement. “International assistance is critical to support a credible investigation into possible crimes against humanity.”
-snip-
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/burkina-faso-military-killings-human-rights-watch-0297fee865e4444f149a1afdfa13479e
