Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged Burkina Faso’s military authorities to investigate and prosecute those responsible for what appears to be the mass killing of civilians earlier this week.
The call follows the circulation of disturbing videos allegedly showing soldiers and militia groups executing members of a nomadic community accused of supporting militants in the Sahel region.
HRW stated that the footage, posted on social media, depicted the killings of dozens of people in and around Solenzo, a city in western Burkina Faso, on 10 and March 11.
The organisation said armed men, identifiable by their uniforms as part of local militias aligned with the ruling junta, could be seen standing around or walking among the bodies.
The videos reportedly show 58 victims, including women, children, and elderly individuals, either lifeless or in distress.
HRW warned that the actual number could be higher, as some bodies appeared to be stacked on top of each other, with hands and feet bound.
The group noted that the victims seem to be from the Fulani ethnic community, a nomadic group often accused of cooperating with jihadist factions.
Ilaria Allegrozzi, HRW’s senior Sahel researcher, accused security forces and allied militias of committing severe crimes without facing any repercussions. She called for a thorough and impartial investigation to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
The killings were reportedly carried out in retaliation for an attack in the area earlier this month.
These rapid intervention battalions, created under junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré, have been at the forefront of the fight against militant groups linked to al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State (IS). However, both these forces and the volunteer militias armed by the government have frequently been accused of human rights abuses.
Burkina Faso’s Prime Minister, Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo, dismissed the videos as misleading, claiming they were part of a campaign to undermine the country’s security forces.
He stated that large-scale counterterrorism operations were ongoing and announced the formation of additional battalions and militias to reinforce the fight against jihadist violence.
