Burkina Faso army launches investigation into mutilation video – JURIST

Burkina Faso's military said on Sunday that the army had opened an investigation into a video that appeared to show people in military uniforms mutilating a corpse. The army said it had mobilized competent services to verify the authenticity of this video and bring the perpetrators to justice.

After reviewing the 81-second video, Human Rights Watch claimed that the people in the video were members of Rapid Intervention Battalion 15, a special unit that conducts counterinsurgency operations against Islamist armed groups. Human Rights Watch called for an impartial investigation into the incident, claiming there was a widespread lack of accountability in the army.

The video, which circulated on X at the end of July 2024, shows at least 18 men in recognizable army uniforms. Within the group, two people used knives to carve out a decapitated body and cut out its organs.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces stressed that the act was contrary to the moral values ​​instilled in the personnel of the National Armed Forces (FAN) and Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP).

Rule 113 of customary international humanitarian law prohibits the mutilation of corpses. In addition, mutilation of corpses in armed conflict is classified as a war crime under Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. At the 65th General Assembly of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the committee described mutilation as a “violation of personal dignity.” It proclaimed that all states had a duty to protect and respect the dead and emphasized the inherent dignity of human beings. In addition, the rights to privacy, culture and religion impose additional obligations to protect deceased persons and their remains.

On July 18, the army chief of the Malian Armed Forces ordered an investigation after a similar viral video.

Burkina Faso and neighboring Mali have struggled with escalating violence between Islamist groups and their militaries, which has led to attacks on civilians.