HRW reports mass killings in Burkina Faso conflict, urging government action - JURIST - News

## Summary
Britany Slessman , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report on Wednesday that Burkina Faso’s military forces have killed around 1,800 civilians and forcibly displaced others since 2023 . It calls on Burkina Faso’s government to investigate and prosecute “armed groups responsible for war crimes”, “coordinate with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights,” and “[a]dopt robust measures […] to counter discrimination, stigmatization, and violence against the Fulani community.” According to HRW, government security forces and pro-government militias, including the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), were responsible for mass killings of civilians accused of supporting Islamist armed groups. The rising violence by Islamist armed groups in Burkina Faso and the broader Sahel, noting increasing civilian casualties and instability linked to armed group activity, was also highlighted in recent reporting. Comparable concerns have also been raised in Mali, where rights groups have documented apparent war crimes by Al Qaeda-linked groups.

## Article Content
News
Spc. Britany Slessman
, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Human Rights Watch (HRW)
released
a report on Wednesday that Burkina Faso’s military forces have killed around 1,800 civilians and forcibly displaced others since 2023
.
The report documents widespread abuses by all sides to the conflict, warning that the scale and systematic nature of the violence may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. It calls on Burkina Faso’s government to investigate and prosecute “armed groups responsible for war crimes”, “coordinate with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights,” and “[a]dopt robust measures […] to counter discrimination, stigmatization, and violence against the Fulani community.”
According to HRW, government security forces and pro-government militias, including the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), were responsible for mass killings of civilians accused of supporting Islamist armed groups. At the same time, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen (JNIM), an Al Qaeda-linked group, carried out large-scale attacks on villages, killings, and forced displacement of populations perceived to be aligned with the state.
The report features accounts from individuals who have lived through these attacks. Some survivors emphasized the panic in communities from blocked humanitarian aid as well as the aftermath of the violence.
HRW notes JNIM has installed explosive devices on roads and destroyed bridges, water sources, and communications infrastructure, which could be unlawful under war laws “when they cut civilians off” from aid.
HRW further
stated
that attacks by the Burkinabè military and VDP militias appeared to amount to ethnic cleansing. The report cites video evidence documenting the segregation and killing of more than 130 Fulani civilians between March 8 and 13, 2025, allegedly targeted solely based on their ethnicity.
The report’s findings
build
on
earlier
warnings regarding escalating abuses in Burkina Faso. In February 2026, the group reported that the junta had further restricted political activity and civil liberties, effectively “pulling the plug on political life,” amid worsening insecurity.
Long-standing patterns of abuse have been
previously
documented
in the Sahel region, including unlawful killings and targeting of civilians during counterinsurgency operations, and the latest report suggests that such patterns have intensified significantly since 2023.
The
rising
violence
by Islamist armed groups in Burkina Faso and the broader Sahel, noting increasing civilian casualties and instability linked to armed group activity, was also highlighted in recent reporting. Comparable concerns have also been
raised
in Mali, where rights groups have
documented
apparent war crimes by Al Qaeda-linked groups.

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- It calls on Burkina Faso’s government to investigate and prosecute “armed groups responsible for war crimes”, “coordinate with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights,” and “[a]dopt robust measures […] to counter discrimination, stigmatization, and violence against the Fulani community.” According to HRW, government security forces and pro-government militias, including the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), were responsible for mass killings of civilians accused of supporting Islamist armed groups.

### Areas for Consideration
N/A

### Implications
- The report documents widespread abuses by all sides to the conflict, warning that the scale and systematic nature of the violence may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
- HRW notes JNIM has installed explosive devices on roads and destroyed bridges, water sources, and communications infrastructure, which could be unlawful under war laws “when they cut civilians off” from aid.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers report, civilians, groups topics. Notable strengths include discussion of report. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 409.