Burkina Faso - August 2024
Devastating terrorist attack claims hundreds of lives
More than 300 civilians were reportedly killed in a terrorist attack carried out in northern Burkina Faso on 24 August, making it one of the deadliest in the country’s history. The Al Qaeda-linked group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), attacked villages near Barsalogho , with the military reportedly anticipating an attack and enlisting villagers to dig protective trenches. Despite initial fears of reprisals, trench-digging began as JNIM fighters launched their attack, though the group claimed responsibility while denying they targeted civilians. This attack highlights the escalating violence that has plagued Burkina Faso for years, where insurgents have intensified assaults. Nearly 2,000 people were killed in Burkina Faso in 2023 alone. There are also growing fears that Russia recently withdrawing 100 of its paramilitary officers from Burkina Faso could embolden Islamist insurgents across the country.
Sources: BBC, Al Jazeera, Le Monde, ACLED, Jeune Afrique, Institute for Economics and Peace
Junta forcefully conscripts magistrates
In August, Burkina Faso’s military authorities conscripted at least six magistrates, including prosecutors and a judge, into the army as a punitive measure. According to Burkinabè magistrates’ union, the conscripted magistrates all had open proceedings against supporters of the ruling junta. Forced conscriptions for government security operations have been authorized under last year’s 13 April “general mobilization” plan, which grants President Ibrahim Traoré sweeping powers, including requisitioning people and goods to combat insurgency. The recent conscriptions, however, marked an escalation in the military junta’s efforts to silence dissent and undermine judicial independence. Human Rights Watch condemned this as unlawful and part of a broader pattern of repression under the junta, where state actors have increasingly targeted voices and independent institutions critical of the regime’s practices.
Sources: Reuters, Burkina24, Human Rights Watch, Jeune Afrique, France24, International IDEA
Rule of Law
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