The march in Burkina Faso: “Enough lessons from the USA, away with the ambassador”
After the American NGO Human Rights Watch's accusations against the army, sources from the Dire agency in Ouagadougou report concern and tension
ROME – Demonstration today at 1pm in front of the United States embassy in Ouagadougou to ask for the closure of the diplomatic representation, accused of having spread “false accusations” against the army of Burkina Faso. The initiative was called by representatives of politics and civil society, such as Egountchi Behanzin, who defines himself as “revolutionary” and “pan-Africanist” and leads the non-governmental organization Ligue de defense noire africaine< /strong> (Ldna).
THE REASONS FOR THE PROTEST
Posts and posters clarify the reasons for the protest, decided after the publication of a report in which the American NGO Human Rights Watch accuses the army of killing over 220 civilians in two villages for the I suspect they had supported rebel groups. “The United States and Great Britain know only one thing” Nestor Podassé, exponent of the Planète des jeunes patriotes (Pjp) movement wrote on Facebook: “The army of Burkina Faso is professional and has as its sole objective the salvation of the populations up to the supreme sacrifice; we love it and support it until the total liberation of our lands”. After the publication of Human Rights Watch , relating to events that occurred on February 25, the government of Burkina Faso suspended television stations and websites of Le Monde, BBC, The Guardian, Deutsche Welle and other foreign newspapers that had relaunched the contents of the report.
THE SOURCES IN OUAGADOUGOU
The context is marked by concern and tension. The military coup that brought Captain Ibrahim Traoré to power in September 2022, who became the youngest president in Africa, did not put an end to the incursions of rebel groups. “The news of recent days has raised quite a bit of concern” reported sources from the Dire agency in Ouagadougou. “The area of the latest clashes is theoretically free to access and NGOs also have offices, warehouses and projects there: it means that the jihadist groups are approaching the capital in a sensitive way.” The killings reported by Human Rights Watch took place in the villages of Nodin and Soro. However, it is the reconstruction of the American organization that is rejected by the government of Burkina Faso. “We denounce these baseless accusations” reported the Minister for Communications, Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo. According to the executive, Human Rights Watch “was able to identify the culprits and pronounce its verdict using boundless imagination”.
