Burkina Faso put civilians at 'unnecessary risk' during militant attack, rights group says
Human Rights Watch says in a new report that Burkina Faso’s government unnecessarily exposed civilians to danger during a militant attack earlier this year
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Burkina Faso's government unnecessarily exposed civilians to danger during a militant attack earlier this year, Human Rights Watch said in a report released Tuesday.
In August, at least 100 villagers were killed by fighters from a militant group linked to al-Qaida in central Burkina Faso, in one of the deadliest attacks this year in the conflict-battered West African nation.
Villagers in the Barsalogho commune, which is 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the capital Ouagadougou, were forcibly helping security forces dig up trenches to protect security outposts and villages when fighters with the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin group invaded the area and opened fire on them, according to the report.
The JNIM group, which claimed responsibility for the attack, said that all of the villagers targeted were members of militias affiliated with Burkina Faso in its response to the report.
