This archive report was first published on 16 July 2019.
On July 15, 2019, 11 people died in custody overnight in cells at the premises of the anti-drugs unit in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Prosecutor Maiza Sereme announced that an investigation had been opened into the deaths, with coroners called in to carry out autopsies on the victims.
According to the Burkina's National Committee for the Fight against Drugs (CNLD), the country had burned 35,300 tonnes of narcotics in June, a quarter of the previous year's drugs seizures.
As one of the main transit points for drugs arriving from West Africa, Burkina Faso is a key location in the region's fight against narcotics trafficking.
