Burkina-Faso: Djibo attack, the government reframes the spokesman for the UN human rights office

«We call on… all parties to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, including by refraining from targeting civilians and civilian objects», commented Seif Magango, spokesman for the UN Human Rights Office, after the Djibo attack.

The Government of Burkina Faso strongly protested against this comment, which is likely to put the state of Burkina Faso on the same footing as the terrorists, who are the sole responsible of this criminal attack in Djibo.

 For Burkina Faso’s Minister Delegate for Regional Cooperation, Mr Karamoko Jean Marie Traoré, Mr Magango cannot «equate terrorists who are plunging the country into mourning with a subject of international law».

How incongruous is this reaction from a United Nations body that claims to be the torchbearer of the values of human rights, humanism and human dignity?

The State of Burkina Faso can in no way be compared to these criminals”, the minister told the country representative of this UN body when summoned.

Raising the issue of the applicability of international humanitarian law in the context of Burkina Faso is totally clumsy.

The «context of this comment is not favourable», said Edasso Rodrigue Bayala, the minister responsible for justice, addressing Ms Zeinab Hamza Diaby, the country representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, accredited to Burkina Faso.

The two ministers and the security minister summoned the country representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to express the government’s disapproval of the comments made by the High Commissioner’s spokesperson.

The ministers «invited the UN office to be more considerate and to give terrorists as little space as possible».

Olivier TOE