The transitional president of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, called yesterday Thursday to avoid drawing “hasty conclusions”, not to blame the army for the massacre in the village of Karma (north) on April 20 by men wearing uniforms and insignia of the armed forces.

“Why should he be accused immediately? [ο στρατός]because it was said that [οι δράστες] did they go in trucks and wear military uniforms?”, the captain asked rhetorically during an interview he granted on public television yesterday, recalling that “the army has lost armored vehicles and other vehicles” in the countless jihadist attacks in the country.

“Knowing this fact, one cannot immediately blame the defense and security forces [σ.σ. τις ένοπλες δυνάμεις]. We have to wait for those conducting the investigation to complete their work and people should not rush to jump to conclusions,” he insisted.

A prosecutor in Waiguia has announced that he is conducting an investigation into the events.

On April 20, 136 people, including 50 women and 21 children, were murdered in Karma, 15 kilometers from the town of Waiguya, and nearby villages, according to data collected by NGOs.

Survivors and eyewitnesses testified that the massacre was carried out by armed men wearing “uniforms and insignia of our armed forces”.

During his televised interview, Captain Traore – who seized power in a coup in September 2022 – also denounced the actions of what he called an “alliance against Burkina Faso” as the country battles jihadist organizations.

“Many countries categorically refuse to sell us equipment,” he said.

More than three months after he demanded that the French army leave his country, the interim president said he was turning to “strategic allies” such as Russia or Turkey.

“We will continue to buy significantly through these countries and work with those who want to help us in the war” against the jihadists, he added, also talking about cooperation with North Korea, announcing purchases of military equipment.

Burkina Faso, which became the scene of two military coups in 2022, has been facing since 2015 the escalating violence of jihadist groups that appeared in Mali and Niger a few years earlier and their activity has spread.

In total, the violence of these organizations, which swear allegiance to either Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State, has cost the lives of over 10,000 people – civilians and soldiers -, according to the UN, while uprooting some two and a half million civilians, turned them into internally displaced persons.