The Collective against Impunity and Stigmatization of Communities (CISC) denounced extrajudicial killings of the Fulani community in Burkina Faso.The civil society organization listed some thirty civilian victims since mid-December 2022, which it said were mowed down. 

It spoke of “another type of terrorism that is developing in the regions” and expressed concern that it was “gradually gaining ground.”

The most emblematic case occurred in the town of Nouna, in the ‘Boucle du Mouhoun’ area. 

The CISC explained that traditional hunters called Dozos identified as VDP targeted neighborhoods predominantly inhabited by the Fulanis following a terrorist attack on their headquarters during the night of December 29-30, 2022.

“At this time, the death toll stands at 21 people, including children, but it continues to rise as information from the field reaches us. The same VDP dozos returned during the night to loot houses and take away animals,” a statement signed by Dr. Daouda Diallo said.

The CISC is concerned about the recurrence of this incident. 

On December 22, 2022, in Marmisga in the commune of Gourcy, in the northern region, it accused VDP of abducting and executing village men and the customary chief of the Fulani community, a septuagenarian, and looting property in the locality.

On the night of December 18, 2022, alleged civilian army auxiliaries abducted and executed a father and his son, a student, in Kongoussi, Centre-Nord region.

“On December 15, 2022, individuals identified as dozos abducted and killed five people in the commune of Lorepeni, in the Southwest region. Also in the same region, on December 20, the chief of the community and members of his family were saved thanks to the effective intervention of elements of the Loropeni police,” the CISC said.

The Collective against Impunity and Stigmatization of Communities denounced “organized looting and targeted violence against civilians against a background of racial profiling and stigmatization.”

“Within the framework of the actions underway against insecurity, it is imperative to rectify the situation for greater effectiveness. This new approach requires in its implementation, a discerning definition of the method of struggle in the strict respect of human rights,” Dr. Diallo advised.