Rights abuse fears in aftermath of Burkina Faso protests

Fears have been expressed this week that rights abuses are being committed against people detained in connection with protests against the rising cost of living in Burkina Faso. In all, 184 persons were arrested concerning the protests, which became violent. Demonstrations took place in the capital, Ouagadougou, on Feb. 28 -- and in south-western Bobo-Dioulasso, the second-largest city, a week earlier. Less violent marches occurred in the towns of Ouahigouya, in the north, and Banfora, in the west of the country. "We were told a while ago that there would have been cases of torture amongst the persons detained after the damages of the 28th of February," said Chrizogome Zougmonré, president of the Burkinabé Movement for Human and People's Rights, a non-governmental organization based in Ouagadougou. "We have checked and it seems there were relatively serious abuses of certain detainees," he added. Zougmonré also said that he had started proceedings for paying a visit to the detainees. The fears come despite Transport Minister and government spokesman Philippe Sawadogo's assurances that those detained would be treated fairly. "We will respect the rules of justice, which will follow its normal course," he said on Mar. 3, during a press briefing in Ouagadougou. For their part, opposition groups are angered that certain detainees were imprisoned before being heard by a judge. "The constitution gives rights to people; these must be respected under all circumstances, especially on the part of the state," said Philippe Ouédraogo, leader of the African Independence Party and head of the G14, which includes other opposition parties. "What we must fear, today, is that because there were damages, the government is furious -- that the government no longer respects people's rights," he added. The detainees include Thibault Nana, leader of the opposition Democratic and Popular Rally, which called a one-day general strike in the capital for to protest against high prices. Nana said he had withdrawn earlier support for a march in Ouagadougou, to prevent a repeat of the violence that occurred during other demonstrations. "It was to avoid this that I called for a one-day general strike in Ouagadougou; I was persuaded that if people took to the streets, they would be difficult to manage," he told IPS. That day's mass action saw youths destroy traffic lights, vehicles and public buildings. Ouédraogo has noted that the opposition does not condone vandalism. Nonetheless, Sawadogo says Nana stands accused of calling for the destruction of public and private property. According to the government-controlled daily, 'Sidwaya', 29 people have already been tried and issued sentences of up to 36 months in connection with the demonstrations in Bobo-Dioulasso. Over recent weeks, prices of goods have risen between 10 and 65 percent in Burkina Faso, something traders blame on the introduction of new taxes. The government rejects this argument, saying it is simply enforcing the payment of existing customs duties. "Before, this [money] went into the pockets of individuals.... It is thus time that the state recovers what it is owed," said Finance Minister Jean Baptiste Compaoré earlier this week. The government has announced measures to stem the dizzying increase in prices. On Feb. 27, it decided to suspend customs duties for three months on a number of imports, including rice, milk and salt. Officials also plan to negotiate with local industries that produce sugar and oil with a view to lowering prices. But opposition parties say authorities should have taken action sooner. "There is a suspicious simultaneity between these damages [those incurred during marches] and the measures, and you ask yourself whether it's not a type of panic that explains these measures, which could have been taken more quickly," Ouédraogo told journalists. Mathias Somé, secretary general of the Burkina Consumers League, says the rise of prices is "abnormal and unjustified." Zougmonré further notes that some citizens have resorted to desperate measures to survive, being "obliged to rummage in dustbins for food, to chase pigs [and] dogs around dustbins..."