In the eastern part of the country, at least 25 civilians are said to have died in the bloodshed of the army.
In the West African country of Burkina Faso, leading the country Ibrahim Traoré has denied in a television interview that mercenaries of the Russian Wagner company are in the country.
Traoré claimed in an interview on Friday that the rumors about Wagner soldiers in the country were developed so that other countries would distance themselves from Burkina Faso. However, under Traore’s leadership, the country has nurtured relations with Russia.
A couple of weeks ago, Traoré demanded that France withdraw its troops from Burkina Faso. France also decided to withdraw its ambassador from the country.
However, according to Traoré, diplomatic relations between France and Burkina Faso have not been broken. Burkina Faso gained independence from France in 1960.
A human rights organization accuses the army of killing at least 25 civilians
A local human rights organization accused Burkina Faso’s army on Friday of killing at least 25 civilians in the eastern part of the country. The relatives of the dead had told about what had happened.
The government of Burkina Faso did not deny what happened in its statement on Friday, but announced that it would investigate the events. It is also aimed at finding out who was possibly responsible for what happened.
The non-governmental organization CISC said that relatives of the victims claimed that Burkina Faso’s defense and security forces were responsible for the bloodshed. Burkina Faso’s military has not responded to the claims.
According to the organization, civilians are said to have died when a convoy containing more than a hundred vehicles drove through three localities. The column was accompanied by dozens of pick-up trucks carrying uniformed troops.
The CISC estimates that the death toll will continue to rise as it receives more information about the events. According to it, the victims have been described as unarmed civilians.
Earlier in the New Year, volunteer forces supporting Burkina Faso’s army have been accused of killing 28 civilians in the northwest of the country.
One of the most unstable and poorest countries in the world
Located in the Sahel region of West Africa, Burkina Faso is one of the most unstable and poorest countries in the world. There have been numerous coups in the country since independence.
Burkina Faso has been fighting jihadist rebels since 2015. Unstable conditions have led, among other things, to two coups last year.
Jihadist rebels supporting Al-Qaeda and ISIS have killed thousands of people and forced around two million people to flee their homes.