Massacre During Marches, Media Ban… Why Is the Army Creating Chaos in This Muslim-Majority Country?

Massacre of people while walking, ban on media… Why is the army creating chaos in this Muslim-majority country?

The African country Burkina Faso is once again in the news. The army here is accused of killing about 223 citizens of its own country. 

Apart from this, the media reporting this incident has been banned.

Burkina army

Military conflict and political instability are common in African countries. News of military conflicts keeps coming from many countries in Africa every day. But the situation in the African country Burkina Faso is going from bad to worse. The conflict here is taking place on such a large scale that 20 lakh people in the country have been displaced. Recently, an HRW report claimed that the country's army has killed 223 civilians, which includes about 56 children.

After the military coup in 2022, the situation in the country has become worse. Both Al-Qaeda and ISIS terrorist organizations are active in Burkina Faso. There are often reports of the loss of lives of common people in the conflict between the army and these organizations. Let us tell you that the situation in this country has been deteriorating since 2015, the situation has worsened after the removal of military leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba as the acting President of the country in 2022.

Why is Burkina Faso in the news?

Many countries in Africa are struggling with climate change and political instability, due to which the already poor population is getting trapped in poverty due to frequent droughts and violence. In recent years, many countries in West Africa have been in the international headlines due to violence. Which involves mutual fighting between several armed forces, national armies, and international groups as well as local militias.

In Burkina Faso, about 2 million people have left their homes due to the conflict with the army of Al Qaeda and ISIS. Not only this, Burkina Faso's army has also been accused of killing civilians many times.

Dismissed the allegations

Recently, the government of Burkina Faso has rejected the allegations of killing civilians made by HRW and has banned the coverage of many foreign media in the country. A spokesman for the Burkina government said, “A legal investigation has begun to determine the cause of the killings in Nodin and Soro. But we are surprised how HRW is identifying the culprits in its report without investigation?”

Let us tell you that HRW has based its report on phone interviews of eyewitnesses.

Ban imposed on foreign media

Burkina Faso has banned international media such as the BBC and the Voice of America radio network after they aired reports accusing the army of killing civilians in the fight against rebels.