BURKINA FASO ARMY ACCUSED OF MASSACRING OVER 130 FULANI CIVILIANS
A new Human Rights Watch report has accused Burkina Faso’s military and allied militias of killing over 130 Fulani civilians in a series of massacres near the western town of Solenzo in March. The atrocities, reportedly part of a broader counterterrorism campaign, have triggered deadly reprisals from Al-Qaeda-linked militants and mass displacement.
HRW’s Ilaria Allegrozzi said evidence—including viral videos—confirmed the military’s role in the killings, which the government had previously denied. The victims reportedly included women and children, with some communities wiped out during coordinated assaults by pro-government forces. Following the attacks, the jihadist group JNIM retaliated against villages seen as aligned with the army.
Despite repeated allegations, Burkina Faso’s government has not commented on the report. HRW urged an impartial investigation and the prosecution of all those involved in what it called one of the deadliest episodes of civilian targeting in the Sahel this year.
