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Burkina Faso Dismisses Human Rights Massacre Report As 'Baseless'

Burkina Faso's military government has vehemently denied Human Rights Watch's report accusing soldiers of killing 223 villagers in two attacks on February 25, labeling the accusations as "baseless".

The government said that legal inquiries were initiated following the incidents, expressing surprise at HRW's premature verdict before investigations concluded.

HRW characterized the massacre as one of the gravest army abuses in Burkina Faso since 2015, potentially amounting to crimes against humanity. However, the Burkina Faso government criticized media coverage for allegedly aiming to discredit its armed forces, while suspending BBC and Voice of America broadcasts for two weeks after they aired the report.

InFocus

© Michele Cattani

(file photo).

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