Burkina Faso’s security forces killing more civilians

WOMEN SLAIN with babies wrapped against their bodies, lifeless children intertwined together, a two-month-old faced up on the ground with puppies crawling on his tiny frame. The scenes were horrifying, but the 32-year-old farmer felt he had to document them, as proof of the carnage in his central Burkina Faso village.

More than a dozen relatives were killed November 5 when security forces attacked with mounted pickup trucks, guns and drones, he told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, for fear of retaliation. He said he hid in a neighbour’s compound and took a series of photos before fleeing the next morning.

Dozens more were killed that day in Zaongo village, according to his account and that of two other survivors, as well as a UN report citing government figures. The images the man sent to AP and the interviews with the three survivors are rare first-hand accounts amid a stark increase in civilian killings by Burkina Faso’s security forces as the junta struggles to beat back a growing jihadi insurgency and attacks citizens under the guise of counterterrorism.

Most attacks – including the slaying of children by soldiers at a military base last year, uncovered in an AP investigation – go unpunished and unreported in a nation run by a repressive leadership that silences perceived dissidents.

More than 20,000 people have been killed since jihadi violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group first hit the West African nation nine years ago, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, a US-based non-profit. The fighting has divided a once-peaceful population, blockaded dozens of cities, and led to two military coups.

Burkina Faso’s government spokesman didn’t respond to requests for comment about the November 5 attack. Previously, officials have denied killing civilians and said jihadis often disguise themselves as soldiers.

The three survivors told AP they’re certain the men were security forces, not jihadis. They describe them wearing military uniforms, one with a Burkina Faso flag fastened to him. The farmer saw a helicopter flying toward the village in the attack’s aftermath – those are used solely by the military, not insurgents.

The United Nations urged the government to investigate, hold those responsible accountable, and compensate victims, said Seif Magango, of the UN Human Rights Office.

Burkina Faso’s prosecutor’s office said it opened an investigation. Four months later, survivors said they’ve had no news.

THEY MASSACRED THEM

It was early morning when the farmer heard gunshots in the distance. Violence in Namentenga province is frequent, locals said – shootings and patrolling soldiers are common. But this Sunday was different.

About 3 p.m., the farmer said, hundreds of men – most in military fatigues – stormed through on motorbikes and trucks and started indiscriminately killing people.

He hid at the neighbour’s home, he said, and after hours of gunshots, the man with the flag entered.

“The soldier told us that his colleagues were in the other compound,” the farmer said. “He said he didn’t want to hurt us, but if the others realised we were still alive, they’d kill us.”

When the guns stopped, he said, he left the compound and saw Zaongo littered with the dead.

“These people sought shelter in their huts, but they massacred them,” the farmer said.

It’s unclear what prompted the attack, but locals said, most times, security forces think villagers are working with extremists.

JUNTA TODAY

Since seizing power in September 2022, the junta has threatened rights groups and journalists and carried out attacks against civilians. It’s on a war footing as it tries to beat back the jihadis, who’ve overtaken more than half the country, according to conflict analysts and experts.

The junta is distancing itself from regional and Western nations that don’t agree with its approach. This year, it left the West African regional economic bloc known as ECOWAS and created an alliance with Mali and Niger, also run by military juntas.

The junta severed military ties with former colonial ruler France. Officials have welcomed several dozen Russians tasked in part with keeping the junta in power, according to several conflict experts and a diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorised to discuss the matter.