The military of Burkina Faso stated on Sunday that the army has opened an investigation into a video that appears to show individuals in military uniforms mutilating a corpse. The army stated it has mobilized competent services to verify the authenticity of this video so as to make the wrongdoers accountable.
After reviewing the 81-second video, Human Rights Watch identified the individuals in the video as members of Rapid Intervention Battalion 15, a special force engaged in counterinsurgency operations against Islamist armed groups. Human Rights Watch called for an impartial investigation into the incident, claiming that there is a pervasive lack of accountability in the army.
The video, which circulated on X in late July 2024, shows at least 18 men in army uniforms. Within the group, two individuals used knives to disembowel a decapitated body, cutting organs from the corpse.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces stressed that the act is contrary to the moral values instilled in the staff of the National Armed Forces (FAN) and the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP).
Rule 113 of Customary International Humanitarian Law, prohibits the mutilation of dead bodies. Additionally, the mutilation of dead bodies in armed conflicts is classified as a war crime by Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. On the 65th General Assembly of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the committee described mutilation as “committing outrage upon personal dignity”. It announced that all states have the duty to protect and respect the deceased and underscored the inherent dignity of human. Additionally, the rights to privacy, culture, and religion impose additional obligations to safeguard deceased individuals and their remains.
On July 18, following a similar viral video, the army chief of the Malian Armed Forces ordered an investigation.
Burkina Faso and neighboring Mali have been grappling with escalating violence between Islamist groups and their militaries that has resulted in attacks on civilians.
