Burkina Faso Army and Militias Blamed for Massacre of Over 130 Fulani Civilians, HRW Reports

At least 130 civilians, mostly from the Fulani ethnic group, were killed by Burkina Faso’s army and allied militias near the western town of Solenzo in March, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW), as per Al Jazeera.

The killings occurred amid a major military campaign by special forces, which HRW said resulted in “widespread civilian deaths and massive displacement” of the Fulani pastoralist community in the region. The rights group’s report, released on Monday, details how the violence unfolded during a weeks-long operation, followed by retaliatory attacks from an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group, Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), on villages the group believed had supported the military.

The massacre allegedly took place in the Boucle du Mouhoun region, which has been a hotspot for violent clashes between the military, militias, and armed Islamist groups. Witnesses told HRW that hundreds of government troops and drones, along with the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), a pro-government militia, were involved in the attacks. According to the report, most of the victims were women, children, and the elderly.

The government of Burkina Faso has not officially responded to the latest report. However, earlier in March, the government had denied accusations of its involvement, calling the viral images and videos “fake information” aimed at inciting community violence.

HRW’s investigation is based on interviews with witnesses, militia members, journalists, and civil society groups. One witness, a 44-year-old Fulani herder who lost eight family members in the attacks, described how thousands of families fled to neighboring Mali for safety, only to face violent opposition from pro-government forces along the way.

“We couldn’t reach Mali without crossing villages occupied by the VDPs and the army. The VDPs shot at us like animals, while drones were flying over our heads,” the witness said. “Many women and children died because they could not run.”

The ongoing violence comes as Burkina Faso, under military rule since a 2022 coup, struggles to regain control of large parts of the country. More than 60 percent of the nation is reportedly outside government control, and tensions between ethnic groups have been exacerbated by the mass recruitment of civilians into poorly trained militia units.