Burkina Faso: Explosion Occurs Near UN Aid Helicopter in Solle

An explosion struck close to a UN-chartered helicopter in Solle, northwest Burkina Faso, on Tuesday, moments after it landed with critical food supplies, wounding two individuals. 

The helicopter, operated by the World Food Programme (WFP), had completed unloading when the explosion occurred. One crew member and a local government official were injured and are currently under medical care. The aircraft, which sustained minimal damage, was relocated to a secure area, according to WFP. All flights to Solle have been suspended pending an investigation into the incident.

The helicopter sustained only minor damage and was moved to safety, WFP said. Flights to Solle have been temporarily halted while authorities investigate the incident.

In conflict-affected areas of Burkina Faso, WFP’s humanitarian air operations are critical for delivering life-saving assistance to hard-to-reach communities most in need.

WFP aims to assist 315,000 of the most vulnerable people during the lean season from June to August, when families have exhausted their food stocks.

WFP, in  a statement on Wednesday, reaffirmed the agency’s “unwavering commitment to support populations in need and to reach the most remote communities with humanitarian assistance.”

Meanwhile, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) on Wednesday expressed serious concern at repeated denials of bail in Uganda for opposition leader Kizza Besigye and his associate Obeid Lutale.

Both individuals have been denied bail three times since they were abducted in neighbouring Kenya and returned to Uganda last November.

In dismissing their latest request, the High Court found them ineligible for mandatory bail merely because they had been detained in civil prison for less than the 180 days required to qualify for release, a duration that did not account for their prior deprivation of liberty following their abduction and forced return.

“We urge the authorities to reconsider the decision and grant them bail, and to ensure that any legal proceedings against them are fully in line with international human rights law,” OHCHR spokesperson Liz Throssell said.

The UN human rights office in Uganda closed its operations there in 2023 after the Government decided to end cooperation with OHCHR.

At the time, High Commission Volker Türk expressed concern about the run-up to the 2026 elections, amid an increasingly hostile environment impacting human rights defenders, civil society actors and journalists.

Other UN human rights mechanisms also condemned laws criminalising same sex relations and the call for the use of the death penalty for convicted offenders. 

NAN