Twenty-eight bodies were discovered in Nouna, in northwestern Burkina Faso, the country’s government announced late Monday, as a civil society organization also denounced abuses by an army-linked militia.
“The government has been informed of a tragedy that occurred in Nouna, the capital of Kossi province, on the night of December 30-31,” said a statement from government spokesman Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo.
The first information indicated that there are “28 people dead,” according to the spokesperson. The statement added that “an investigation was immediately opened (…) to clarify the circumstances of the tragedy and determine all responsibilities.”
The Government will await the result of the investigation and “appeals to the entire population for calm”, affirming “that all measures have been taken to clarify” this episode of “unacceptable violence”.
In a statement, the prosecutor of the Nouna High Court, Armel Sama, specified “that the majority of the victims, all men, were shot dead.”
Prior to the publication of these official communiqués, the non-governmental organization (NGO) Collective against Impunity and Stigmatization of Communities (CISC) denounced “abuses” committed against the civilian population by Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), a militia linked to ) in that region.
“Armed civilians who claimed to be [dos VDP] they carried out organized looting and selective abuses against the civilian population (…)”, said the NGO.
Source: TSF
