The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News | OHCHR
United Nations Human rights briefing by Ravina Shamdasani on Burkina Faso - Killing of civilians.
“We call for a full and independent investigation into the latest horrific killing of civilians in Burkina Faso and for those responsible to be held to account,” she said.
“Reports indicate that on 20 April, armed men in uniform, encircled Karma village, in northern Yatenga Province, and randomly shot at people. Available information suggests that at least 150 civilians may have been killed, and many others injured,” The armed men then proceeded to loot homes, shops, and mosques.
Sources in the nearby town of Ouahigouya reported hearing gunshots at 7a.m. on 20 April, three hours after they had seen men in military fatigues on vehicles and motorcycles headed towards Karma.
“The public prosecutor in the town of Ouahigouya announced on 23 April that 60 people were killed and an investigation into the attack was under way. This investigation must be prompt, thorough, independent, and impartial and must result in credible prosecutions, if such gross violations are to end,” Shamdasani said.
The killings come in the wake of an attack on a VDP base on 15 April in which – according to the provincial governor – eight soldiers and 32 VDPs were killed and more than 30 injured. Credible accounts indicate the attackers accused village residents of sheltering members of the Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslim group, an Islamic State group affiliate, and other non-state armed groups.
“We call on all parties to the conflict in Burkina Faso to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, including by refraining from targeting civilians and civilian objects. Deliberately targeting civilians or individuals not taking direct part in hostilities constitutes a war crime,” she said.
This is one of several other reported attacks on civilians by the armed forces and VDPs in recent months. On 9 November last year, at least 50 civilians were killed when suspected members of the 14th regiment attacked four villages near Djibo town, in Soum Province. In another incident, at least 28 people were killed in Nouna town, in Kossi Province, on 30-31 December. Investigations were announced by the authorities. We call on the authorities to publish the findings of these investigations.
END
For more information and media requests, please contact:
In Geneva
Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org or
Liz Throssell + 41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org or
Jeremy Laurence + +41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org or
Marta Hurtado - + 41 22 917 9466 / marta.hurtadogomez@un.org
In Nairobi
Seif Magango - +254 788 343 897 / seif.magango@un.org
Tag and share
Twitter @UNHumanRights
Facebook unitednationshumanrights
Instagram @unitednationshumanrights
- Exterior shot: Travelling shot Palais de Nations
- Wide shot: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR): “We call for a full and independent investigation into the latest horrific killing of civilians in Burkina Faso and for those responsible to be held to account,”
- Cut away: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR): “Reports indicate that on 20 April, armed men in uniform, encircled Karma village, in northern Yatenga Province, and randomly shot at people. Available information suggests that at least 150 civilians may have been killed, and many others injured,”
- Cut away: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR): “The public prosecutor in the town of Ouahigouya announced on 23 April that 60 people were killed and an investigation into the attack was under way. This investigation must be prompt, thorough, independent, and impartial and must result in credible prosecutions, if such gross violations are to end,”
- Cut away: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR): “We call on all parties to the conflict in Burkina Faso to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, including by refraining from targeting civilians and civilian objects. Deliberately targeting civilians or individuals not taking direct part in hostilities constitutes a war crime,”
- Cut away: Briefing room
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
“We are deeply troubled by the marked increase in executions in Iran last year. At least 901 people were reportedly executed in 2024, including some 40 in one week alone in December. At least 853 people were executed in 2023,” Liz Throssell, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the UN bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Avian flu risk still ‘low’ after first US patient dies – WHO
A day after the United States reported its first human death from avian flu, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) insisted that the risk to the general population remains “low”.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The appointment on Thursday of Karla Quintana as head of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic is a key development after nearly a year and a half of work by the UN Human Rights Office supporting the institution’s launch.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , UNICEF , UNRWA , WHO
The head of the UN migration agency stressed on Friday that Syria is in no position to take back millions of Syrians following the fall of the Assad regime, while there is an urgent need to “re-evaluate” sanctions impacting the war-ravaged country.
1
1
1
Edited News | IIIM , UNHCR
Syria: ‘Key priority’ is to preserve evidence of crimes – UN investigators
In Syria, new access to evidence of horrific human rights violations means that accountability may be closer than ever – if only proof can be preserved, a top UN investigator said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OSE , ICRC , UNHCR
Syria: UN and partners urge action to preserve evidence of prison atrocities, stabilize country
Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria five days ago, hundreds of people have rushed to Saydnaya prison, desperate to find loved ones. Disturbing images from the prison and other detention centers have since surfaced, exposing the “unimaginable barbarity Syrians have endured for years,” said Jenifer Fenton, spokesperson for the UN special envoy for Syria, on Friday.
1
1
2
Edited News | UNRWA
Gaza: “Sickening normalisation” of suffering, amid attacks on people and aid convoys
Ongoing military operations by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in Gaza continue to devastate Palestinian children and families, with mounting casualties and a critical lack of humanitarian aid for the desperate population.
“Local media reporting here that last night, 30 people were killed in this area in strikes” said a senior emergency officer with the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Louise Wateridge, speaking to reporters in Geneva from central Gaza.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | OHCHR
Rights experts call for end to impunity for Israel’s violations of international law
Four independent human rights experts have jointly called for the international community to sanction Israel’s conduct of hostilities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as well as in the wider Middle East region - including in Syria, Lebanon and Iran. They also called for the restoration of trust in the international justice system through the abandonment of “extreme interpretations” and “double standards” in the application of the universal norms regulating the conduct of war.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNHCR
Syria: needs continue to grow amid highly uncertain situation, say aid teams
The historic power shift in Syria and the still volatile situation two days after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime have increased humanitarian needs in a country where nearly 17 million people, including millions of internally displaced, already depended on humanitarian aid before the recent events, UN aid teams said on Tuesday.
2
1
3
Edited News , Press Conferences | OSES
Barely 48 hours since opposition forces including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) swept into Damascus and forced out President Bashar al-Assad, the top UN negotiator tasked with helping Syrians’ create a peaceful and democratic future insisted that nothing could be taken for granted.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Monday called on States to do all in their power to end senseless conflicts and suffering.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
No evacuation order given before Kamal Adwan Hospital strike, says WHO
One of the last partially functional health centres in northern Gaza was reportedly hit again overnight into Friday by several strikes, leaving four health workers among the casualties and the dead, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO).