Ansaroul Islam and other armed groups are enforcing brutal sieges in localities across Burkina Faso committing war crimes and human rights abuses, including killings of civilians, abductions of women and girls, attacks on civilian infrastructure and attacks on supply convoys, resulting in severe humanitarian consequences, Amnesty International...
Ansaroul Islam and other armed groups are enforcing brutal sieges in localities across Burkina Faso committing war crimes and human rights abuses, including killings of civilians, abductions of women and girls, attacks on civilian infrastructure and attacks on supply convoys, resulting in severe humanitarian consequences, Amnesty International said today in a new report.
The leader of a civil society organization told Amnesty International:"These days, a town or village falls under siege every day. Arbinda has been under siege since 2019. The situation is similar in Gorgadji, Sollé, Mansila and Titao and there are real risks for the inhabitants." A 52-year-old internally displaced person told Amnesty International:"The terrorists call us miscreants and prohibit us from farming our land. I couldn't farm this year nor access pasturelands for my livestock. At the beginning of the rainy season, they told us in Djibo that no one was allowed to access the farmlands. Besides, they come and take our livestock in the pasturelands without any consequence. Whoever defies their orders runs the risk of being killed by them.
A 65-year female IDP who fled Djibo in November 2022 told Amnesty International:"Hunger is rife in Djibo, and the weakest are most exposed. I have gradually lost my sight this year " In response to the deteriorating security situation, the Burkinabe authorities declared a state of emergency in 2019, granting exceptional powers to administrative authorities. They also took measures, such as armed road escorts for the"transportation of fuel, cargo and other hazardous materials" and the prohibition of cash transfers in the Sahel and Eastern regions, hindering humanitarian access and relief to populations in need.