At least 150 civilians may have been killed and many more injured in an attack allegedly perpetrated by Burkina Faso’s security forces, the UN high commissioner for human rights has said. In a statement on Tuesday, the commissioner, Ravina Shamdasani, called for a prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigation into what it called the “horrific killing of civilians” in the village of Karma, in northern Yatenga province. On Monday, Burkina Faso’s prosecutor said it had opened an investigation into the killings but put the death toll at 60, less than half the number estimated by the UN and local people. This incident – one of the deadliest against civilians by security forces – comes amid mounting allegations that the military is committing abuses against those it believes to be supporting the jihadis. Earlier this month, Burkina Faso’s government announced it was opening other investigations into allegations of human rights abuses by its security forces, after a video surfaced that appeared to show the extrajudicial killing of seven children in the country’s north.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN