Burkina Faso military, allies committing ‘horrific’ civilian abuses: HRW

More than 1,800 civilians have been killed by the army and armed groups since 2023, Human Rights Watch says.Burkina Faso's President Ibrahim Traore, second left, may be liable for grave abuses and should be investigated, HRW said [File: Mali Government Information Center via AP]Published On 2 Apr 2026Burkina Faso’s military is committing atrocities, including the ethnic cleansing of Fulani civilians, Human Rights Watch has found, which amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity in the West African country.In a report released on Thursday and titled None Can Run Away, the New York-based watchdog presented its findings after conducting in-person and phone interviews with more than 450 people in Burkina Faso, Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Mali about abuses between January 2023 and August 2025.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Sahel summit: What is the biggest challenge facing the region?list 2 of 3Mali, Burkina Faso ban US citizens in response to Trump travel banslist 3 of 3Will Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso bloc reshape the Sahel?end of listUsing extensive open-source analysis, including satellite imagery, audiovisual footage and official documents, its researchers verified 57 incidents involving Burkinabe military forces and allied militias known as the Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland (VDPs), as well as the al-Qaeda-linked armed group, Jama’at Nusrat al‑Islam wa al‑Muslimin (JNIM).The rights NGO found that all groups were responsible for the war crimes of wilful killing, attacks on civilians and civilian objects, pillage and looting, and forced displacement.Its report said that of the 1,837 civilians killed in the country between January 2023 and August 2025, more than 1,200 were the result of government forces. At least two million people are estimated to have been displaced since the conflict began, according to the United Nations.HRW added that President Ibrahim Traore, the supreme commander of the armed forces, and six senior Burkinabe military commanders may be liable for grave abuses and should be investigated.Iyad Ag Ghaly, the JNIM supreme leader who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes in Mali in 2012-2013, and four JNIM commanders, may be liable as a matter of command responsibility for abuses by JNIM in Burkina Faso and should also be investigated, it added.In one of the deadliest incidents, the Burkinabe military and allied militias killed more than 400 civilians in December 2023 in about 16 villages near the northern town of Djibo.HRW said the military government, which seized power in September 2022, and its allies, targeted the Fulani ethnic group because of their alleged support for armed groups, resulting in the ethnic cleansing of entire communities.“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, executive director of HRW.“The junta is committing horrific abuses itself, failing to hold those responsible on all sides to account, and curtailing reporting to obscure the suffering of civilians caught in the violence.”‘Shot in the back of the neck’HRW interviewed the relatives of several victims, highlighting the use of widespread threats and violence to dominate and punish communities as part of efforts to expand territorial control in rural areas.In November 2023, government-allied militias killed 13 Fulani civilians, including six women and four children, in the western village of Basse.“All the bodies, except for that of my son, were grouped together in the courtyard, blindfolded with their torn clothes and their hands tied behind their backs… riddled with bullets,” said a 41-year-old man.“My son … was lying on his stomach. He had been shot in the back of the neck.”On August 24, 2024, JNIM killed at least 133 civilians, including dozens of children, in the central town of Barsalogho.“[JNIM fighters] shot continuously, as if they had plenty of ammunition,” said a 39-year-old man.“People were falling like flies. They came to exterminate us. They did not spare anyone.” Five of his family members were killed in the attack.