Burkina Faso: 12 detainees suspected of terrorism die in cell

Text by: Yaya Boudani

What happened to the Tanwalbougou gendarmerie in the eastern region? A dozen people died in their cells on the night of May 11 to 12 while they were in detention. An investigation was opened according to the prosecutor.

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From our correspondent in Ouagadougou

Twenty-five people were arrested by the defense and security forces during the night of May 11 to 12. Suspected of terrorism, they were detained at the premises of the advanced gendarmerie post in Tanwalbougou, some 40 km from Fada N'Gourma. Twelve of them died while in police custody. " They died by suffocation in their cell overnight, " says a security source, well before the press release. The same source added that those arrested had to be interviewed before being transferred.

An investigation is opened. The judicial police officers have already visited the site for customary findings in the company of health workers, says the prosecutor from Faso.

The Collective against Impunity and the Stigmatization of Communities is already casting doubts on the circumstances in which these twelve people were killed. " The bodies had already been wrapped before being handed over to the populations for their burial, " explains one of the leaders of this group, following testimony gathered from residents of the village.

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