An investigation has been opened into the murders that were discovered on December 30 and 31, prosecutors said in a statement that gave no details about the possible perpetrators or the motive for the attacks.
One resident of Nouna said she saw two armed men enter her house and kill her 74-year-old husband on December 30.
“They blindfolded him, took everything that was on him, forced him to his knees and shot him with three bullets,” said the woman, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation.
The West African country is battling a violent jihadist insurgency that has spread from neighboring Mali over the past decade. Thousands were killed across the region, and millions were forced to flee their homes.
On Monday, the Burkinabe civil society organization CISC blamed Nouna’s attacks on armed civilians masquerading as members of the Homeland Defense Volunteers (VDP), a group that receives funding and training from the government to help in the fight against the rebels.
(Reporting by Thiam Ndiaga; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Hereward Holland and Richard Chang)
