A court in Burkina Faso has launched an investigation into social media posts inciting violence against the Fulani people, an ethnic group frequently targeted in the Sahel.
The probe follows outrage over videos of Fulani civilians being massacred last week in Solenzo, in the country’s west.
While the killings were blamed on the army and allied militias—allegations they denied—the incident also triggered online hate speech against the Fulani.
Ouagadougou High Court public prosecutor Blaise Bazie announced late Thursday that authorities were investigating individuals who had published or shared posts calling for the “extermination” of an ethnic group.
While Bazie did not name the community, most of the inflammatory messages targeted the Fulani.
Some users justified their calls for violence by claiming that Fulani people were responsible for Burkina Faso’s insurgency, as the ethnic group has often been accused of harbouring militants.
“Investigations are underway, and perpetrators will be arrested in the coming days,” Bazie stated.
He warned that such messages posed “serious threats to peace and social cohesion” and could lead to prison sentences.
Burkina Faso has been engulfed in violence since 2015, with over 26,000 people killed—more than half of them since a military coup in 2022, according to conflict tracking group ACLED.
