TRAORÉ : NGO LIED ABOUT Libya, NOW IT LIES ABOUT BURKINA Faso!

On 25 April, Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a report claiming Burkina Faso’s military massacred 223 civilians. The report circulated rapidly in mainstream Western media. The United States and the United Kingdom referenced the report in a joint declaration calling on the Burkinabé government to investigate the alleged killings. Burkinabé citizens responded by organising mass demonstrations in support of the new government, held sometimes in front of the US embassy.

However, the United States and the United Kingdom did not issue a denouncement after ally Nigeria admitted to accidentally bombing 85 civilians five months ago.

On 23 May, President Ibrahim Traoré said his government would lodge a complaint against HRW, as it has in the past created what he referred to as ‘false reports’ that fueled the uprising against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, which helped justify the 2011 NATO-led invasion and Gaddafi’s ousting. From there, he said, arms flooded the Sahara Desert and the arid zone south of it called the Sahel. Since 2011, terrorism has spiked in Sahelian states.

According to a Jacobin magazine article, HRW has violated its alleged neutrality by participating in Washington’s ‘revolving door,’ whereby high-ranking government officials allegedly responsible for what could amount to war crimes hold board-level and advisory roles at the organisation and vice versa.

Traoré pointed out HRW’s funding does not reflect the standards of a non-governmental organisation, as it has come under fire for accepting government funds, including 3 million euros from the Qatari government. Other funding sources include the US National Endowment for Democracy (NED), whose co-founder Allen Weinstein stated, ‘a lot of what we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA.’

Do the United States, the United Kingdom and Human Rights Watch have the right to criticise Burkina Faso?