GENEVA: The United Nations called Wednesday for an independent investigation into “mass killings” in Burkina Faso this month that left dozens of people dead, including children.
Burkina Faso’s state prosecutor said Monday that more than 70 people had been killed in an attack on November 5 in the town of Zaongo in the central-north of the country, and that most of them were children and elderly people.
The UN rights office said it was “following the alarming reports of mass killings” in the West African country.
“We call on the transitional authorities to carry out promptly a thorough, independent, and transparent investigation into these serious reports,” spokeswoman Liz Throssell said in a statement.
She pointed out that while the authorities had confirmed at least 70 deaths, “some reports suggest that some 100 people may have been killed, and a large number injured.”
“This incident, during which a number of properties were burned down, is also reported to have led the villagers to flee the area,” she said.
The Save the Children aid group also called for an “immediate investigation” into the killings.
“This incident is a grave reminder that children bear the brunt of conflict and insecurity in Burkina Faso,” said Benoit Delsarte, Save the Children’s director in Burkina Faso.
“The perpetrators of these crimes against children must be held to account and brought to justice. Impunity for violations of children’s rights feed into the narrative that these crimes are acceptable,” he added in a statement.
The country is battling a jihadist insurgency that spilled over from neighboring Mali in 2015 and has left more than 17,000 civilians and soldiers dead and displaced two million people.
Burkina Faso is ruled by a transitional government put in place after a September 2022 coup.
“Our office in Burkina Faso is continuing to look into what happened but is at this stage unable to identify the perpetrators,” UN spokeswoman Throssell said.
She pointed out that it was “difficult to access the area for security reasons and talk to witnesses and survivors,” stressing the need for a probe to determine who was behind the killings.
“The perpetrators responsible must be brought to justice, in fair and transparent trials, and reparations must be provided to victims,” she added.
![]()
UN calls for investigation into Burkina Faso ‘mass killings’
Short Url
https://arab.news/v37ex
UN calls for investigation into Burkina Faso ‘mass killings’
- Burkina Faso is ruled by a transitional government put in place after a September 2022 coup
Pope Leo warns of ‘new arms race’ as US-Russia treaty to expire
- New START, the last nuclear treaty between Washington and Moscow, is due to expire on Thursday
- The treaty was signed in 2010 by then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his US counterpart Barack Obama
VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV warned Wednesday of the risk of “a new arms race” as the last US-Russia nuclear treaty is set to expire.
New START, the last nuclear treaty between Washington and Moscow after decades of agreements dating to the Cold War, is due to expire on Thursday, and with it restrictions on the two top nuclear powers.
“I urge you not to abandon this instrument without seeking to ensure that it is followed up in a concrete and effective manner,” the American pope said at his weekly general audience.
“The current situation requires us to do everything possible to avert a new arms race, which further threatens peace between nations,” he said.
Leo, the Catholic Church’s first American pontiff, said it was “more urgent than ever to replace the logic of fear and mistrust with a shared ethic capable of guiding choices toward the common good.”
The Kremlin has offered a one-year extension of the treaty, but while US President Donald Trump said in September that an extension of the New START “sounds like a good idea,” little has changed since then.
The treaty, which included a monitoring mechanism, was signed in 2010 by then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his US counterpart Barack Obama.
But Russia suspended monitoring inspections during the Covid-19 pandemic and talks on extending the agreement have broken down in recent years due to tensions over the Ukraine war.
Moscow had also accused Washington of impeding monitoring missions on US soil.
In 2023, Russia froze its participation in New START, but it has continued to voluntarily adhere to the limits set in the treaty.
Moscow has last year tested its latest nuclear weapon carriers without atomic warheads, and Trump said he was moving two nuclear submarines closer to Russia.
New START, the last nuclear treaty between Washington and Moscow after decades of agreements dating to the Cold War, is due to expire on Thursday, and with it restrictions on the two top nuclear powers.
“I urge you not to abandon this instrument without seeking to ensure that it is followed up in a concrete and effective manner,” the American pope said at his weekly general audience.
“The current situation requires us to do everything possible to avert a new arms race, which further threatens peace between nations,” he said.
Leo, the Catholic Church’s first American pontiff, said it was “more urgent than ever to replace the logic of fear and mistrust with a shared ethic capable of guiding choices toward the common good.”
The Kremlin has offered a one-year extension of the treaty, but while US President Donald Trump said in September that an extension of the New START “sounds like a good idea,” little has changed since then.
The treaty, which included a monitoring mechanism, was signed in 2010 by then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his US counterpart Barack Obama.
But Russia suspended monitoring inspections during the Covid-19 pandemic and talks on extending the agreement have broken down in recent years due to tensions over the Ukraine war.
Moscow had also accused Washington of impeding monitoring missions on US soil.
In 2023, Russia froze its participation in New START, but it has continued to voluntarily adhere to the limits set in the treaty.
Moscow has last year tested its latest nuclear weapon carriers without atomic warheads, and Trump said he was moving two nuclear submarines closer to Russia.
Latest updates
Recommended
© 2026 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.