Burkina Faso’s governing military government has accused terrorist groups of carrying out murders against civilians in the country’s north, encouraging citizens to give no credence to photos of violations performed by armed men posing as Burkina Faso soldiers.
Several videos have been widely circulated on social media since the beginning of December, alleging the army of perpetrating acts of violence against residents in the Djibo area (north).
Burkina Faso spokesman and Minister for Communication, Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo, in a press release said “The government invites the population not to give any credence to the video images currently circulating on social networks.
“These videos “attempt to make people believe that massacres of civilians have been perpetrated by Burkina Faso’s fighting forces”, he added, denouncing a “communication campaign fuelled by the terrorists”, concerning “massacres that they themselves have perpetrated”.
“These are treacherous fabrications designed to discredit the Defence and Security Forces (FDS) and the Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland (VDP, civilian auxiliaries to the army), who put up heroic resistance to the onslaught of terrorists who failed miserably to take control of the Djibo camp on 26 November”, he said.
Security sources said on that day, militants carried out a massive attack against an army detachment in Djibo, killing several soldiers.
No official figures were released, but the state media claimed that the army’s response had “neutralised more than 400 terrorists”.
At least 40 civilians were also killed and 42 wounded, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been caught up in a spiral of violence perpetrated by terrorist groups affiliated to other terrorists, which has left a total of more than 17,000 civilians and soldiers dead.
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