Burkina Faso’s military leadership has strongly accused jihadist factions of perpetrating civilian “massacres” in the northern region of the country, cautioning the public against placing trust in videos that allegedly depict abuses by Burkina soldiers.
Numerous videos have circulated on social media since early December, implicating the army in violent actions against civilians in the Djibo area in the north.
“The government invites the population not to give any credibility to the videos currently circulating on social media,” communication minister and government spokesman, Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo, said in a press release.
The videos “attempt to make people believe that massacres of civilians have been committed by Burkina Faso’s armed forces,” he added, denouncing a “communication campaign fuelled by the terrorists” concerning “massacres that they themselves have perpetrated”.
Since 2015, Burkina has grappled with escalating jihadist violence linked to groups associated with the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, akin to the ones affecting neighboring Mali and Niger.
Ouedraogo underscored that these videos are intended to discredit Burkina’s Defence and Security Forces and the auxiliary force Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP), highlighting their courageous resistance against a failed terrorist assault on the Djibo camp on November 26.
Reports from security sources indicated that during the November 26 attack by jihadists on an army detachment in Djibo, numerous Burkinabe soldiers and volunteer militia lost their lives, alongside at least 40 civilians, according to the UN Human Rights Office.
The military claimed that a counteroffensive neutralized “over 400 terrorists” during that period. Djibo, located near the border region intersecting Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali, has faced prolonged siege by jihadist groups operating in the area, resulting in several attacks on convoys attempting to replenish the town.