Burkina Faso Junta, Militias, Al-Qaeda-Linked Fighters K!ll Over 1,800 Civilians Since 2023 –Report

Burkina Faso Junta, Militias, Al-Qaeda-Linked Fighters Kill Over 1,800 Civilians Since 2023 –Report

According to the report, at least 57 incidents of grave abuses have been documented since the military seized power in September 2022 under junta leader Ibrahim Traoré.

Anew report by Human Rights Watch has revealed that Burkina Faso’s military junta, allied militias, and an Al-Qaeda-linked armed group have killed more than 1,800 civilians and displaced tens of thousands since 2023 in what it described as war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The 316-page report, titled “None Can Run Away: War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity in Burkina Faso by All Sides,” detailed widespread atrocities committed by government forces, pro-government militias known as the Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland (VDPs), and the Islamist armed group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin.

According to the report, at least 57 incidents of grave abuses have been documented since the military seized power in September 2022 under junta leader Ibrahim Traoré.

Human Rights Watch said the abuses include mass killings, forced displacement, pillage, and ethnic cleansing, particularly targeting Fulani communities accused of supporting Islamist fighters.

“The scale of atrocities taking place in Burkina Faso is mind-boggling, as is the lack of global attention to this crisis,” said Philippe Bolopion.

He accused the junta of committing serious abuses while also failing to hold perpetrators accountable and restricting media coverage to conceal the suffering of civilians.

Investigators interviewed over 450 victims and witnesses across Burkina Faso and neighbouring countries, including Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Mali. The organisation also analysed satellite imagery, thousands of hours of video footage, and official documents to verify incidents and identify those responsible.

The report highlighted a deadly December 2023 operation near Djibo in northern Burkina Faso, where soldiers and allied militias reportedly killed more than 400 civilians across about 16 villages. Survivors recounted how gunmen opened fire indiscriminately, killing women and children.

In another incident in November 2023, militias allegedly executed 13 Fulani civilians, including women and children, in the village of Bassé, with victims found bound and blindfolded.

The report also accused JNIM fighters of carrying out mass killings and imposing siege tactics on communities. On August 24, 2024, the group reportedly killed at least 133 civilians, including children, in Barsalogho, accusing residents of collaborating with pro-government militias.

Since 2016, Burkina Faso has been battling an insurgency by Islamist armed groups operating across the Sahel region. The conflict has intensified under the current junta, with both state forces and insurgents accused of targeting civilians.

Human Rights Watch said that President Traoré, as commander-in-chief, along with six senior military officials, could be held responsible under the doctrine of command responsibility.

It also named JNIM leader Iyad Ag Ghaly and four of his commanders as potentially liable for abuses committed by the group.

Despite the scale of the violence, the report said perpetrators on all sides continue to enjoy near-total impunity, with victims lacking access to justice and distrustful of national institutions.

The organisation criticised the government for denying or downplaying allegations against its forces and failing to conduct credible investigations.

It also called on international bodies, including the United Nations, African Union, European Union, and the United States, to take concrete steps to address the crisis, including imposing sanctions on those responsible.

Human Rights Watch urged the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to open a preliminary investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Burkina Faso since September 2022.

“The world needs to recognise the magnitude of the atrocities unfolding in Burkina Faso to bring them to an end,” Bolopion said, calling for urgent international action and accountability.