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A6 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 4 January 2023
Burkina Faso rights group alleges 28 dead in ethnic killings

By ARSENE KABORE and In an attempt to stem jihadi
SAM MEDNICK violence, the government
Associated Press has recruited tens of thou-
OUAGADOUGOU, Burki- sands of civilian volunteers
na Faso (AP) — Volunteer to fight alongside the army.
militia groups supporting Both groups have been
Burkina Faso’s army have accused by rights groups
killed dozens of civilians of of committing atrocities
the ethnic Fulani group, against civilians.
including children, in the Many Fulani communi-
troubled country’s west, a ty members say they’re
local rights group charged equally afraid of the jihadis
on Tuesday. as they are of the volunteer
The military supporters militias.
killed nearly 30 civilians last Burkina Faso’s government
week in Nouna town, a didn’t immediately re-
predominately Fulani and spond to questions about
Muslim community, ac- the alleged abuses.
cording to Daouda Diallo, In his New Year’s speech to
executive secretary of the the nation, Traore thanked
civic group, the Collective the volunteer fighters for
Against Impunity and Stig- their patriotism.
matization of Communities. But across Burkina Faso,
Burkina Faso’s Fulani peo- Daouda Diallo, 39, One of Burkina Faso’s most outspoken human rights defenders, poses for a residents charge that the
photograph in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Thursday Feb. 3, 2022.
ple have been increasingly Associated Press volunteers are rounding up
targeted by the military civilians and killing them.
and local defense militias revenge attacks by volun- conducted acts of “un- groups. Between October In December, seven vol-
because they are suspect- teer fighters after jihadis at- precedented gravity.” and January Diallo’s group unteers abducted a father
ed of supporting the West tacked their headquarters, Extremist groups linked to documented nearly 250 and son from their shop in
African country’s Islamic he said. al-Qaida and the Islamic cases of extrajudicial kill- Kongoussi town in the Cen-
extremist rebels that have Burkina Faso’s government State group have killed ings compared to 95 in the ter North region, Yacouba
been inflicting violence on said it has launched an in- thousands and displaced previous four months, said Diallo a resident who said
the country for years. vestigation into the killings nearly 2 million people in Diallo. he witnessed their abduc-
“They (support militia) es- of at least 28 people. In a Burkina Faso over the past There were more initiatives tion told The Associated
sentially targeted resource- statement Monday, Armel seven years. for dialogue between com- Press by phone. The men
ful or influential people and Sama Burkina Faso’s prose- Violence against the Fu- munities and the jihadis were found dead in the
the able-bodied members cutor called on the popula- lani people has increased under the rule of the previ- forest two days later, the
of the community, resulting tion to remain calm during since the country’s new ous junta leader, Col. Paul father had two gunshots to
in the loss of many human the investigation and said junta leader, Capt. Ibra- Henri Sandaogo Damiba, his body and the son was
lives,” said Diallo. the government would ar- him Traore, seized power which might have resulted slaughtered with a knife,
The killings in Nouna were rest the perpetrators who in September, allege rights in fewer killings, he said. said Diallo. q

U.S. Virgin Islands fires attorney general in Epstein cases

By DÁNICA COTO ing only that she would be “Human trafficking was the said it didn’t commit any
Associated Press replaced by Assistant Attor- principal business of the negligent acts.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) ney General Carol Thomas- accounts Epstein main- The lawsuit that George
— The governor of the U.S. Jacobs. tained at JP Morgan,” the filed against JPMorgan
Virgin Islands has fired the Governor spokesman Rich- lawsuit reads. “JP Morgan Chase comes after Ep-
attorney general of the ard Motta did not return a turned a blind eye to evi- stein’s estate reached the
U.S. territory who pursued message for comment, nor dence of human trafficking $105 million settlement with
various cases against dis- did executive assistant to over more than a decade the U.S. Virgin Island’s gov-
graced financier Jeffrey the attorney general Jen- because of Epstein’s own ernment in late November.
Epstein, including a lengthy nifer Springette. financial footprint, and The Virgin Islands Daily
legal fight that resulted in a In the lawsuit filed against because of the deals and News, a local newspaper,
$105 million settlement. JPMorgan Chase on Dec. clients that Epstein brought reported that Epstein had
The removal of Denise 27, the government of the and promised to bring to made various donations
George comes just days U.S. Virgin Islands alleges the bank.” to schools and organiza-
after she filed a lawsuit the company “knowingly A JPMorgan Chase spokes- tions across the U.S. terri-
against JPMorgan Chase facilitated, sustained, and woman declined comment tory, and that the island’s
in New York and accused concealed the human traf- in a message Tuesday to former first lady was the of-
the company of helping ficking network operated This image provided by the The Associated Press. fice manager for one of his
Epstein finance the illegal by Jeffrey Epstein from his Florida Department of Law On Dec. 30, JPMorgan companies, Southern Trust.
exploitation of women and home and base in the Vir- Enforcement shows financier Chase asked that a federal It also noted that Bryan,
children in the U.S. Virgin Is- gin Islands, and financially Jeffrey Epstein, on July 25, judge throw out lawsuits the governor, had granted
lands and beyond. benefited from this par- 2013. filed by two unidentified Epstein’s company various
Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. did ticipation, directly or indi- Associated Press women alleging that big hefty tax exemptions when
not provide a reason for re- rectly, by failing to comply It also alleges that the com- banks should have seen he served as chairman of
lieving George of her duties with federal banking regu- pany concealed wire and evidence of Epstein’s sex the Economic Develop-
in a statement Sunday, say- lations.” cash transactions. trafficking. The bank also ment Commission.q