OUAGADOUGOU, BURKINA FASO — Human Rights Watch (HRW) has released a new report stating that at least 130 civilians were killed in March by Burkina Faso government forces and allied militia near the western town of Solenzo.
The rights organization describes the incident as a “massacre” that followed an operation conducted by Burkinabè special forces, resulting in extensive civilian fatalities and the displacement of ethnic Fulanis.
The Fulani community, predominantly Muslim pastoralists, have frequently been accused by the government of supporting Islamist militants – an allegation that community leaders have denied.
Approximately 40% of Burkina Faso is under the control of groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, operating within West Africa’s Sahel region. These attacks have resulted in the deaths of thousands and the displacement of millions, persisting despite assurances from the country’s military leadership to address the insurgency.
Prior to the release of HRW’s findings on Monday, reports emerged of additional militant attacks over the weekend, resulting in numerous military and civilian casualties. Vivid Voice News has not independently verified these reports, and the authorities typically do not comment on alleged jihadist attacks.
Vivid Voice News has sought a response from the Burkina Faso government regarding the HRW report.
In the previous year, the government dismissed as “baseless” another HRW report that accused soldiers of a “massacre” in which 223 villagers were killed. It also stated that any allegations of human rights abuses committed “in the fight against terrorism” were systematically investigated.
The rights group states that its findings regarding the army’s involvement in the March killings were based on interviews with witnesses, militia members, journalists, and civil society, as well as analysis of videos shared on social media.
HRW had previously indicated the army’s “implication” in the killings, citing online videos depicting numerous deceased and injured individuals, although those initial findings were not conclusive.
The organization now asserts that further investigation has “uncovered that Burkina Faso’s military was responsible for these mass killings of Fulani civilians.”
The report further states that at least 100 more civilians were killed last month in retaliatory attacks by jihadist groups against those perceived as assisting the military.
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“Mass killings of civilians by government security forces, militias, and Islamist armed groups amount to war crimes and other possible atrocity crimes,” the report concludes.
The rights group has urged the government to investigate and prosecute all individuals responsible for these crimes.
This development coincides with junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré’s return from Moscow following a meeting on Friday with Vladimir Putin to discuss cooperation and security in the Sahel region.
Since the military takeover, Burkina Faso has shifted its alliances away from former colonial power France and towards Russia for assistance in combating the Islamist insurgency.
