BURKINA FASO: Anti‐Jihadist Fight.

A human rights group in Burkina Faso has criticized the government's "requisition of citizens" in its anti-jihadist fight. The ruling junta, led by Captain Ibrahim Traore, declared a year-long "general mobilization" in April, granting authorities the power to conscript citizens if necessary. The Burkinabe Movement for the Rights of Man and the People (MBDHP) claims that these requisitions are being imposed on trade union members, civil society groups, journalists, and opposition politicians critical of the government. Additionally, a massacre in the town of Zaongo resulted in the deaths of over 70 people, with conflicting reports on who was responsible. Al-Qaeda's Sahel branch, Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), accused the Burkinabe army of carrying out the attack, while some local media outlets also implicated the army. Transitional President Traore has urged against drawing hasty conclusions. Amnesty International has also reported that armed jihadist groups have been holding several locations in Burkina Faso under siege, causing severe humanitarian consequences. [Extracted from the article]