Ouagadougou (Wagadugu): Jihadist groups in Burkina Faso have significantly increased their attacks on civilians, often targeting communities in retaliation for not joining their ranks or for alleged collaboration with government forces, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report released on Wednesday.
The West African nation, led by a military junta, has struggled with Islamist insurgents linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State, who have expanded their presence from neighboring Mali over the past decade. Under the leadership of Ibrahim Traore, Burkina Faso has mobilized civilians to combat the insurgency, forming volunteer army auxiliaries known as VDPs and requiring residents to dig defensive trenches.
HRW has documented a surge in deadly attacks by jihadists, with at least 128 civilian deaths reported between February and June. These attacks targeted villages, a displaced persons camp, and even worshippers in a Catholic church. The Al Qaeda affiliate Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) claimed responsibility for six of these attacks, with the group previously warning civilians against aiding the army.
Witnesses told HRW that some villagers were killed after being forced back to areas from which jihadists had previously displaced them due to their involvement with the VDPs. “We are between a rock and a hard place,” a 56-year-old villager remarked.
The Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), affiliated with ISIS, claimed responsibility for a February church massacre, allegedly in retaliation against Christians who refused to renounce their faith.
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In response to the report, the junta issued a rare written statement in August, with the justice minister rejecting claims of slow prosecution of serious crimes and asserting that all alleged human rights violations are being investigated. The minister also stated that displaced people had voluntarily returned to secured areas.
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The HRW report did not cover a recent attack in late August, where hundreds of civilians were killed while digging trenches around Barsalogho, marking one of the deadliest incidents in Burkina Faso’s history. Despite promises to improve security following his September 2022 coup, Traore’s regime has faced criticism for worsening violence and a crackdown on dissent, according to analysts and rights groups.
