Twelve people have been found dead in their cells in Burkina Faso. All had been detained on alleged ‘terror’ charges.

25 people had been detained overnight on Monday. The prosecutor for the town of Fada N’Gourma said, “……..unfortunately, 12 of them have died during the course of the night in the cells they were being held in.”

While the cause of death is currently unknown, security sources claim it may have been asphyxiation. Most of the 12 deceased were ethnic Fulas, a group often accused of ‘jihadist’ links.

The country’s forces have repeatedly been accused of mistreating the Fulas. An investigation has been launched.

Less than a month ago, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said it believed Burkina Faso security forces had executed 31 unarmed men in the town of Djib. They had been arrested a few hours before, in what was reportedly a ‘counter-terror’ operation. Further, a local human rights organisation said a Fula teacher accused of having ‘terrorist’ links was found dead on May 2, in a police station in the country’s capital, Ouagadougou.

Umm Muhammed Umar