Burkina Faso army killed 130 members of Fulani ethnic group: HRW

At least 130 civilian members of the Fulani ethnic group were killed by Burkina Faso’s army and pro-government militias in the western region in March, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report released on Monday.

The killings around the town of Solenzo occurred “during operation a major weeks-long campaign led by Burkinabe special forces that resulted in widespread civilian deaths and massive displacement of Fulani people,” the report said.

According to the report, an al-Qaeda-affiliated group called Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen (JNIM) then launched a wave of retaliatory attacks in Sourou province, targeting villages suspected of supporting the military.

Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at HRW, said in a statement that the viral videos of the atrocities by pro-government militias near Solenzo “sent shock waves through Africa’s Sahel region,” but they did not tell the full story.

Calls for impartial investigations

“Further research uncovered that Burkina Faso’s military was responsible for these mass killings of Fulani civilians...The government needs to impartially investigate these deaths and prosecute all those responsible,” Allegrozzi said.

The NGO said it interviewed 27 witnesses to the attacks, including militia members, journalists, and civil society members.

It also analysed at least 11 videos showing abuses by Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland (VDPs) against Fulani civilians near Solenzo.

The Burkina Faso government has yet to issue an official reaction to the report.

Government rejects allegations

However, last year, the government dismissed similar HRW allegations that the army was involved in civilian massacres.

Jean Emmanuel, a member of a civil society organisation that mobilises citizen action to promote democracy and justice in Burkina Faso, told Anadolu that there has been a "remarkable deterioration in respect for human rights since the military captured power in January 2022 in the name of fighting terrorism."

In 2022, the landlocked West African country witnessed two coups.

Mass exodus

Witnesses told HRW that the attacks caused a mass exodus of Fulani people, a pastoralist, largely Muslim community that the government accuses of supporting militants.

The Fulani attempted to cross the Malian border for safety, but few were able to do so because the pro-government militia and military had occupied the villages, according to witnesses.

Some 29% of Burkina Faso’s national territory remains under terrorist threat, limiting access to certain areas for the implementation of development projects, according to the government.