More than 1,800 civilians have been killed in Burkina Faso since the military government seized power, according to a new report. Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated that at least 1,837 civilians, including dozens of children, were killed in 57 incidents between January 2023 and August 2025.
The report attributes most killings – 1,255 – to the military and allied militias, with the rest blamed on Islamist militants. HRW finds that President Ibrahim Traoré and six senior military commanders “may be liable as a matter of command responsibility for grave abuses and should be investigated.” It also says five jihadist leaders may be culpable. The Burkinabé authorities have dismissed previous accusations of civilian killings by their forces.
The report is based on analysis of open-source information – photos, videos, and satellite imagery – as well as interviews with witnesses and survivors. “All sides are responsible for the war crimes of willful killing, attacks on civilians and civilian objects, pillage and looting, and forced displacement,” the report says. The junta is accused of committing “horrific abuses” and failing to hold perpetrators accountable while blocking reporting to hide civilian suffering.
Philippe Bolopion, HRW’s executive director, said, “The scale of atrocities taking place in Burkina Faso is mind-boggling, as is the lack of global attention to this crisis.” The report cites one of the deadliest incidents in December 2023, where it says the military and allied militias killed over 400 civilians in the northern town of Djibo. A 35-year-old woman told the rights group that her two daughters died on the spot, and bullets injured her and her nine-month-old son.
The militias allied with the military – the Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP) – are civilians recruited by the junta to support the army’s fight against jihadist groups. The junta has been accused of forcing critics to join the group as punishment. Traoré has previously defended conscription, saying that “individual freedoms are not superior to national freedom” and that “a nation is not built on indiscipline and disorder.”
Burkina Faso, like its neighbors Mali and Niger which are also under military rule, has moved away from working with Western countries, especially France, in its fight against Islamist groups. All three have instead turned towards Russia for military assistance, however the violence has continued unabated. HRW is urging the International Criminal Court to open a preliminary investigation into the alleged crimes committed by all parties since September 2022 and has called on Burkina Faso’s partners and donors to impose sanctions and refrain from cooperating with the country’s army.
Source: www.bbc.com