Burkina Faso’s army executed more than 200 civilians – Rights group

Burkina Faso’s military forces “summarily executed” 223 civilians, including at least 56 children, in two villages in February, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said in a new report.

The international rights group said the massacre appeared to be part of a widespread military campaign against civilians accused of collaborating with armed groups.

On February 24 and 25, armed groups carried out attacks across the country on military targets, including barracks and bases, and on civilian infrastructure, such as religious sites, killing scores of civilians, soldiers and militia members.

Civilians have been caught in the middle of and displaced by the fighting between armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS), and security forces.

The West African country is run by a military government led by captain Ibrahim Traore who seized power in a coup in September 2022, eight months after an earlier military coup had overthrown the democratically elected President Roch Marc Kabore.

Traore has focused on reclaiming areas controlled by armed groups, but the military has drawn criticism from international rights groups for cracking down on freedom of speech and intimidating critics as it struggles to contain a security crisis.

“The massacres in Nondin and Soro villages are just the latest mass killings of civilians by the Burkina Faso military in their counterinsurgency operations,” said Tirana Hassan, HRW’s executive director.