Burkina Faso: UN wants to see "perpetrators" of human rights violations "brought to justice"
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet during a press conference in Ouagadougou, December 1, 2021 © Sophie Garcia, AP
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
Michelle Bachelet is visiting the Sahel.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights completed a stay in Burkina Faso on Wednesday, December 1, before flying to Niger, announcing the opening of a UN agency office in Ouagadougou to monitor the human rights situation.
And this, while the country faces an upsurge in insecurity due to armed groups linked to terrorism.
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With our special correspondent in Ouagadougou,
Sidy Yansané
This is the very first visit by a United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to Burkina Faso.
At the end of her four-day stay, Michelle Bachelet formalized the installation of an office with a full mandate in the country.
This in an unprecedented period of human rights violations, in particular linked
to the presence of groups linked to terrorists of Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State
, as well as two weeks after
the attack on gendarmes and civilians in Inata
which provoked 53 dead.
Allegations of summary executions
During her visit, the Chilean diplomat met in Ouagadougou President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, members of the government and civil society.
She then traveled to Dori, in the northeast of the country, to meet with local authorities and displaced people and refugees.
The High Commissioner did not fail to note the allegations of summary executions, disappearances and sexual violence, perpetrated by armed groups, but also by the Burkinabé defense and security forces.
On these latest accusations, Michelle Bachelet affirms to have underlined with the Head of State the need to “
bring to justice
” all the alleged perpetrators of “
these human rights violations
”, she declared during the meeting. a press conference.
Because growing insecurity could lead the country into a cycle of violence, humanitarian crises and destabilization.
The importance of dialogue
The UN representative also returned to the recent
popular protests against President Kaboré
, insisting on the importance of dialogue and the participation of civil society to face the many “
major and intersecting crises
” that Burkina Faso is going through.
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To read also:
Burkina Faso: President Kaboré cleans up the gendarmerie
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