The Burkina Faso military summarily executed at least 223 civilians, including at least 56 children, in two villages on February 25, an extensive HRW investigation revealed.
A military convoy with more than 100 Burkinabè soldiers arrived on motorbikes, in pickup trucks, and in at least two armored cars in the village of Nondin. Villagers said the soldiers went door-to-door, ordering people out of their homes and to show their identity cards. Villagers were rounded up in groups before soldiers opened fire on them. Soldiers also shot at people trying to flee or hide.
Witnesses described a similarly harrowing scenario in the nearby village of Soro, where soldiers arrived about an hour later.
“They [the soldiers] separated men and women in groups,” said a 48-year-old farmer from Soro. “I was in the garden with other people when they [soldiers] called us. As we started moving forward, they opened fire on us indiscriminately. I ran behind a tree, and this saved my life.”
The Background
These mass killings, which appear to be in retaliation against civilians accused of collaborating with Islamist armed groups, may amount to crimes against humanity.
Since 2016, Burkina Faso forces have been fighting an insurgency against Islamist armed groups, which control large swatches of territory. The conflict has forced two million people from their homes and led to the shutdown of more than 6,100 schools since 2021.
Villagers believe the military committed the massacre in retaliation for an attack by Islamist fighters against a Burkinabè military and militia camp earlier that day.
On February 26, Burkinabè Defense Minister Mahamoudou Sana denounced these attacks by Islamist fighters, but never mentioned the military’s mass killings of civilians.
Media Suspended
In response to media coverage of HRW’s investigation of the massacre, Burkinabè authorities – which have a history of repressing media critical of its counterterrorism operations – suspended a number of media outlets covering the news, including publications based in the UK, Europe, US, and Africa.
This is not the first mass atrocity committed by Burkina Faso’s military, but it is the worst in nearly a decade. To bring justice to the people of Nondin and Soro, an independent is needed, with support from African Union and United Nations investigators.
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