Karma massacre

Last updated
Karma massacre
Part of Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
LocationKarma, Yatenga Province, Burkina Faso
Date20 April 2023
7:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. UTC
Deaths156
InjuredUnknown
PerpetratorsFlag of Burkina Faso.svg 3rd Battalion of the Rapid Intervention Brigades
No. of participants
~100
MotiveRevenge for April 2023 Aorema attack

The Karma massacre was a massacre in the village of Karma, Ouahigouya Department, Burkina Faso on April 20, 2023 perpetrated by soldiers of the Rapid Intervention Brigade's 3rd Battalion in response to the Aorema attack by jihadists that killed several soldiers and civilians a few days prior. The Karma massacre was one of the deadliest massacres of the jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso, and up to that point the deadliest perpetrated by government forces.

Contents

Background

Much of northern Burkina Faso has been the frontline of an insurgency waged by Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara since 2015, with these groups intensifying their attacks on civilians seen as sympathetic to the government since 2019. [1] These jihadist groups had been known to invade towns in Ouahigouya Department, including Karma and Aorema, multiple times over the past few years demanding zakat. [2]

In the first few months of 2023, numerous human rights abuses were committed against civilians by Burkinabe soldiers. [3] In February 2023, seven children and teenagers were executed by Burkinabe soldiers in Ouahigouya Department, and videos of the incidents were recovered by French newspaper Libération. [4] In response, Burkinabe junta authorities expelled Liberation correspondent Agnes Faivre and Le Monde correspondent Sophie Douce. [5]

The commune of Barga is made up of around 20 villages, and became a conflict zone between government forces and those of Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Burkinabe affiliate Ansarul Islam. In 2022 and 2023, the Fulani inhabitants of Barga fled the area, but the inhabitants of Karma - a majority-Mossi village - remained in support of the army. At the time of the attack, Karma had 400 residents. [6] [3]

Five days before the massacre, between 40 and 75 militants from the pro-government Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) were killed in a jihadist attack in Aorema, located close to Karma. Survivors from the Karma massacre reported that during the killings, a Burkinabe soldier told them "What they did to us, we are going to do to you." [3]

Massacre

At 7:30 am on April 20, over a hundred Burkinabe soldiers emblazoned with BIR3 patches, signifying that they were part of the 3rd Battalion of the Rapid Intervention Brigades, entered Karma on motorcycles and pickups. Eyewitness testimony confirmed the soldiers were part of the BIR3. [7] [8] [9] The villagers welcomed the soldiers, but grew concerned when they began surrounding Karma. [3] [10]

One survivor stated that the soldiers entered civilian homes, rounded up the inhabitants, and took them outside. In the process, the soldiers demanded to see the villagers' IDs, and looted items such as phones and money. [9] The soldiers shot at anyone who attempted to flee or hid in their homes. [3] [9] Residents were gathered in the town's main squares and shot, while others were killed in their homes. [6] Women, children, and the elderly were among the victims. [9]

The imam of the village was killed in front of the mosque. A group of 11 people were tied up and blindfolded, then killed on the side of a hill. Another group of primarily women and children were killed in the Moingayiri neighborhood, with some children being as young as 10 days old. Another group of 13 men was killed in a home's courtyard. People that weren’t rounded up in the village hid in their homes; attackers followed them before breaking in the door and killing them. Residents who were injured that attempted to run were killed. The attackers also looted shops, homes, and mosques, stealing valuable items, money, and at least 10 motorcycles. [11] [7]

Much of the village was torched by the soldiers, including forty granaries, seventeen barns, and forty homes. [7] The killings lasted until 2:00 pm before the convoy, which was followed by a military helicopter, left for the village of Dinguiri. Later that day, six civilians were killed when the convoy stopped at Dinguiri. Two more were killed in the town of Mene, and another three killed on the road between Ouahigouya and Barga. [12] [13] [14] [8]

Aftermath

Reactions

The massacre was "firmly condemned" by the Burkinabe government on April 28, which said it was "following the process of the investigation very closely." [15] On May 4, junta leader Ibrahim Traoré declared he was waiting for the end of the investigation before drawing any conclusions for the massacre. Traore called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. [16]

On April 27, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, the president of Guinea-Bissau and chairman of ECOWAS, described the massacre as genocide. [17] Burkinabe authorities condemned the designation, calling Embalo's statement "hasty and preemptory." [17]

Casualties

On April 23, Lamine Kabore, the prosecutor of the Ouahigouya High Court, announced that sixty people had been killed in Karma by people "wearing the uniforms of our national armed forces." [10] That same day, Liberation, citing local sources, estimated a death toll of between 150 and 200 people killed. [6] RFI reported between 100 and 200 people killed. [10] On April 25, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that at least 150 civilians had gone missing, and that the attack was carried out by armed men in uniform who were allegedly members of the defense and security forces, accompanied by paramilitary auxiliaries. [3]

The Collective Against Impunity and Stigmatization of Communities (CISC), a Burkinabe human rights organization, put the death toll at 136, including 50 women and 21 children. [6] The Burkinabe Movement for People and Humans' Rights announced a death toll of 147 killed, including 28 women and 45 children along with nine people killed in neighboring localities. [18] Human Rights Watch reported a death toll of 156, including a list of names. [19]

Related Research Articles

On December 24, 2019, militants from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara attacked the Burkinabe government military base in Arbinda, Sahel Region, Burkina Faso along with the town of Arbinda itself. The attack was halted due to French and Burkinabe air intervention, although 35 civilians were killed in the jihadists' massacre. The Arbinda attack was the deadliest incident in the jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso in several years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solhan and Tadaryat massacres</span> Insurgent attacks in Burkina Faso

On 4 and 5 June 2021, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) attacked the village of Solhan, Yagha Province, Burkina Faso. At least 160 people were killed in the massacres, making it the deadliest attacks up to that point in the jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso since the start of the war in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamist insurgency in Burkina Faso</span> Ongoing insurgency in Burkina Faso (2015–present)

An ongoing war and civil conflict between the Government of Burkina Faso and Islamist rebels began in August 2015 and has led to the displacement of over 2 million people and the deaths of at least 10,000 civilians and combatants.

On 25 May 2022, jihadists from Ansarul Islam or Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin attacked civilians fleeing the towns of Madjoari and Tabarga, Kompienga Province, Burkina Faso during the siege of Madjoari. The jihadists intercepted the refugees near the town of Singou, and separated the men from the women, elderly, and children. Over fifty civilians were executed by the jihadists, and fifty more were alleged to be missing. The massacre was the culmination of an offensive that began several weeks prior, with jihadists killing seventeen civilians in Madjoari on May 14 and overrunning the Burkinabe base in the town on May 19.

On June 11, 2022, jihadists from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara attacked the town of Seytenga, Séno Province, Burkina Faso, killing over a hundred civilians in a massacre. The massacre occurred after Burkinabe forces evacuated the city following ISGS' takeover of the Burkinabe base in the town on June 9.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Djibo</span> Battle between Burkina Faso and Jihadist rebels

The siege of Djibo is an ongoing blockade of the city of Djibo in Burkina Faso by several factions of Jihadist Islamist rebels. The siege began in February 2022, and is part of the Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso.

In early July 2022, two separate massacres occurred in Bourasso, Kossi Province and Namissiguima Department, Yatenga Province in Burkina Faso. The massacre in Bourasso killed 22 people, and the one in Namissiguima killed 12.

The Ouahigouya ambush took place near Ouahigouya, Burkina Faso, between February 7 and 8, 2022. French forces launched an airstrike on Ansar ul Islam militants responsible for the November Inata attack that killed dozens of Burkinabe police officers.

On September 4, 2023, clashes broke out between jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin and Burkinabe soldiers backed by pro-government VDP militiamen in the village of Koumbri, Yatenga Province, Burkina Faso. The battle left over fifty Burkinabe soldiers and militiamen dead and an unknown number of jihadists killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nondin and Soro massacres</span> 2024 massacres in Burkina Faso

On 25 February 2024, members of the Burkina Faso Armed Forces summarily executed around 223 civilians, including 56 children, in Yatenga Province, northern Burkina Faso. The massacres took place in the villages of Nondin and Soro, and were perpetrated in retaliation for alleged civilian collaboration with jihadist militias. Human Rights Watch (HRW) described the killings as one of the worst Burkinabe army abuses since 2015.

On April 15, 2023, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin attacked a group of Burkinabe soldiers and civilian volunteers in the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) near Aorema, Yatenga Province, Burkina Faso, killing at least forty soldiers and VDP and injuring over thirty others. The attack occurred a month after a massacre against civilians by JNIM in Aorema that killed fourteen. Following the attack, Burkinabe soldiers searching for the perpetrators of the April attack killed over 130 civilians in the Karma massacre.

On August 4, 2021, jihadists from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara attacked several towns and Burkinabe bases in Markoye Department, Oudalan Province, Burkina Faso. Several rural villages were raided and civilians were killed, and the jihadist raids on Burkinabe bases in Tokabangou sparked battles that killed dozens of Burkinabe soldiers and ISGS fighters. The attacks were the deadliest day for the Burkinabe government since the Solhan and Tadaryat massacres in June 2021.

On August 18, 2021, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin ambushed a convoy of Burkinabe soldiers and civilians near Boukouma, Séno Province, Burkina Faso. The ambush sparked clashes between the jihadists and the soldiers, leaving dozens dead on both sides. At least 65 civilians were killed in the ambush as well.

On December 23, 2021, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin and Ansarul Islam attacked Burkinabe forces in Titao, Loroum Province, Burkina Faso, killing 41 soldiers. The attack was one of the deadliest attacks against Burkinabe soldiers in the country's history, and occurred just over a month after an attack on Inata killed over fifty soldiers. News of the attack sparked protests across Burkina Faso.

On May 21, 2022, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin attacked the city of Bourzanga, Burkina Faso, but the attack was repelled by Burkinabe and French forces.

The Tin-Ediar attack or Déou attack occurred on February 17, 2023 when Burkinabe soldiers were ambushed by the Islamic State – Sahil Province (ISGS) near the village of Tin-Ediar while travelling between Déou and Oursi, Burkina Faso. Over 70 Burkinabe soldiers were killed in the ambush, and Burkinabe authorities stated 160 ISGS fighters were killed.

On February 20, 2023, jihadists from the Islamic State – Sahil Province (ISGS) ambushed Burkinabe soldiers in Tin-Akoff, Oudalan Province, Burkina Faso. Between 15 and 100 Burkinabe soldiers were killed. The attack came just three days after the Tin-Ediar attack, where over seventy Burkinabe soldiers were killed in an ISGS attack.

On March 31, 2024, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin attacked Burkinabe forces in Tawori, Tapoa Province, Burkina Faso. Over seventy Burkinabe soldiers were killed and thirty-two civilians were killed during the attack and the subsequent massacre.

On June 11, 2024, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) attacked the town of Mansila and it's military base, killing over a hundred Burkinabe soldiers. The attack weakened public perception of the Burkinabe junta and sparked tensions between the junta and disgruntled military officers.

On August 8, 2024, a convoy of Burkinabe army vehicles headed to Fada N'Gourma from Diapaga were ambushed by militants from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), killing between 150 and 200 Burkinabe soldiers and militiamen. While the Burkinabe junta has not released a statement confirming the death toll, the attack marks the deadliest incident against Burkinabe soldiers since the start of the jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso.

References

  1. ↑ "Burkina Attacks Continue". Voice of America. 2023-03-06. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
  2. ↑ "Burkina Attacks Continue". Voice of America. 2023-03-06. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Burkina Faso : à Karma, « les militaires ont défoncé les portes des maisons et ont réuni les habitants dehors pour les tuer »" (in French). 2023-04-26. Retrieved 2025-01-21.
  4. ↑ Macé, Célian; Horn, Alexandre; Maillard, Matteo; Faivre, Agnès. "Au Burkina Faso, une vidéo d'enfants exécutés tournée dans un camp militaire". Libération (in French). Retrieved 2025-01-21.
  5. ↑ "Les correspondantes du « Monde Afrique » et de « Libération » expulsées du Burkina Faso" (in French). 2023-04-02. Retrieved 2025-01-21.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Faivre, Agnès. "Au moins 150 civils massacrés dans le nord du Burkina Faso". Libération (in French). Retrieved 2025-01-21.
  7. 1 2 3 "Burkina Faso: Responsibility of the army indicated in Karma massacre". Amnesty International. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Survivors Of Burkina Village Massacre Recount Hours-long Nightmare". Barron's. 26 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Burkina Faso: Army Linked to Massacre of 156 Civilians". Human Rights Watch. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 "Nord du Burkina Faso: une soixantaine de personnes tuées par des hommes en tenue de l'armée". RFI (in French). 2023-04-24. Retrieved 2025-01-21.
  11. ↑ "Burkina Faso: UN calls for investigation into massacre of 150 civilians". United Nations. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  12. ↑ "Burkina Faso rights group says 136 killed in massacre by uniformed men". NATION. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  13. ↑ "Burkina junta breaks silence over massacre by men 'in army uniform'". rFI. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  14. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=545281284452763&set=pcb.545281371119421
  15. ↑ "Burkina Faso : au moins 33 militaires tués dans une attaque attribuée à des djihadistes, une ONG dénombre 136 civils tués à Karma" (in French). 2023-04-28. Retrieved 2025-01-21.
  16. ↑ "Massacre de Karma au Burkina Faso: Ibrahim Traoré, président de la Transition, prend à son tour la parole". RFI (in French). 2023-05-05. Retrieved 2025-01-21.
  17. 1 2 "Massacre de Karma au Burkina Faso: les autorités réagissent au communiqué de Sissoco Embalo de la Cédéao". RFI (in French). 2023-05-03. Retrieved 2025-01-21.
  18. ↑ Faivre, Agnès. "Confirmation du massacre de Karma : plus de 150 villageois tués". Libération (in French). Retrieved 2025-01-21.
  19. ↑ "Burkina Faso : L'armée serait impliquée dans le massacre de 156 civils | Human Rights Watch" (in French). 2023-05-04. Retrieved 2025-01-21.

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