Human Rights Watch is calling out the government of Burkina Faso for failing to include human rights violations taking place in the country in a report to the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights.
Burkinabe authorities, security forces and terror groups are all accused of widespread abuses against civilians and restrictions on people’s rights and freedoms.
The commission requires member states to report on the human rights situation in their countries and the measures taken by the authorities to address the abuses. The last report covers 2015 to 2021 and was reviewed Wednesday.
Allan Ngari, HRW’s Africa advocacy director, said Burkina Faso’s reporting does not cover more recent abuses in the country.
“The report falls short of a number of human rights violations that we have been documenting as Human Rights Watch between 2021 to 2024, so this information is not readily available for the commission at this point,” Nagari said, adding that the group has shared reports with the commission to take recent years into consideration.
Local and international human rights groups say widespread human rights violations are taking place in the country as the military government wrestles with insecurity caused by Islamist extremist groups.
The rights groups say abuses by the government and military include arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearance, torture, and interference with the judiciary and media.
The Islamist groups are also accused of serious abuses against civilians, including summary executions, sexual violence, abductions, and besieging towns and villages across the country.
Burkina Faso’s report to the commission says the government has established a panel to investigate and prosecute terrorism acts, observe detainees’ rights and train its security forces in international human rights and humanitarian law to prevent abuse.
Paul Ogendi teaches law at the University of Nairobi and is a human rights expert attached to the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights. He said periodic reporting of the human rights situation in a given country can help the country improve its record and save lives.
“The reporting obligation is very important to help the country adhere to the African charter or comply with the obligation under the African charter,” Ogendi said. “When you do not report, then it’s very hard for the commission through its mandate to help you as a country improve on aspects where there might be weaknesses.”
Ngari said people in Burkina Faso continue to face abuses but there are also other concerns. Those include safeguarding civic space for activists and journalists and political opposition who have been targeted by the state and “disappeared” but were forced to join the front lines of battle against Islamic armed groups.
“People who have no training in military operations and yet are put on the front line,” Ngari said. “So we are urging the commission to take into cognizance these anomalies and violations of the African Charter and to ask the government of Burkina Faso to pursue accountability for serious abuses.”
Ogendi explained which actions the commission can take against a country that fails to comply.
“Most of the action is taken for the head of states to take note of what is happening and perhaps in some cases urge the state to be compliant with the obligations under the African Charter,” Ogendi said. “But I have also seen a situation where the commission can have a mission in those countries or they can have advocacy visits to try to talk to the head of states of those who are responsible.”
Last year, the commission wrote to Burkina Faso following the killing of civilians in Namentenga and Yatenga province to initiate an investigation and ensure the protection of civilians.
