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Burkina Faso Military, Pro-Govt Militias Targeted, Massacred Over 130 Fulani Civilians In One Month —HRW

The Burkina Faso military, in coordination with pro-government militias, carried out a campaign of mass killings targeting ethnic Fulani civilians in the country’s western Boucle du Mouhoun region, according to a damning new report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW).

The alleged atrocities took place during March 2025, with the number of civilian deaths exceeding 130 and possibly reaching hundreds.

The violence, which HRW said was spearheaded by the Burkinabè special forces as part of "Operation Green Whirlwind 2" (Operation Tourbillon Vert 2), occurred around Solenzo and neighbouring towns in Banwa and Sourou provinces.

The group alleged in the report that these actions amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

“The viral videos of the atrocities by pro-government militias near Solenzo sent shock waves through Africa’s Sahel region, but they told only part of the story,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch.

“Further research uncovered that Burkina Faso’s military was responsible for these mass killings of Fulani civilians, which were followed by deadly reprisals by an Islamist armed group.

“The government needs to impartially investigate these deaths and prosecute all those responsible.”

Beginning on February 27 and stretching into early April, the report stated that Operation Green Whirlwind 2 saw Rapid Intervention Battalions 7, 10, 18, and 23, under the command of Rapid Intervention Group 2, joined forces with hundreds of pro-government militia known as the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDPs).

According to the report, witness testimonies suggested the operation was not just a military manoeuvre against Islamist groups but a campaign of ethnic violence aimed squarely at Fulani civilians.

“Thousands of Fulani families from over 20 villages set out for [neighbouring] Mali in search of protection,” said a 44-year-old Fulani herder from Solenzo, who lost eight family members during the March 8 attack.

“However, we couldn’t reach Mali without crossing villages [that were] occupied by the VDPs and the army.

“The VDPs shot at us like animals, while drones were flying over our heads. Many women and children died because they could not run.”

Villagers reported that warnings were issued before the attacks.

The report referenced a Fulani man from Sanakuy who recounted that a Bobo friend told him about upcoming operations targeting Fulani civilians.

“My friend [an ethnic Bobo] who is close to the VDPs told me that the VDPs and the military were getting organised and strengthening their units. He drove me to the Malian border just one day before the killings,” the report quoted the man as saying.

The worst killings occurred between the villages of Béna and Lékoro.

According to HRW’s analysis and testimony from 27 witnesses, the military and VDPs executed an apparent pincer movement that trapped civilians in the bush.

The operation left women, children, and the elderly vulnerable, many of whom were killed on the spot.

“I saw a lot of VDPs coming, shooting at us indiscriminately.… We ran. But they chased us, caught some of us and executed them,” said a 60-year-old man from Sanakuy who was attacked near Béna on March 11.

HRW said it also reviewed videos showing VDP members, some in uniforms labelled “Groupe d'autodéfense de Mahouna” and “Force Rapide de Kouka,” loading dead bodies onto a tricycle cart.

One such video was geolocated to just east of Mahouna village, HRW stated, noting that witnesses recognised at least 14 people in the videos, including children.

“I heard the VDPs saying in the Djoula language: ‘Nobody will escape! Look for the Fulani everywhere. We are going to kill all Fulani,’” said a 50-year-old woman from Solenzo.

Similar ethnic-based hate speech was echoed in numerous eyewitness accounts and videos reviewed by HRW.

A 45-year-old man from Lahirasso said that 10 of his friends and one relative were killed.

“There were thousands of us walking toward Mali and after the attack by VDPs and soldiers, our number had considerably decreased,” he said.

In a statement on March 15, the Burkinabè government was said to have claimed that its forces repelled a terrorist attack on March 10, killing about 100 assailants and rescuing civilians being used as human shields.

According to HRW’s report, the government said it evacuated women and children and found stolen livestock, denying any deliberate targeting of civilians.

However, the report noted that residents and survivors contradict this account as they insisted that there was no significant fighting between government forces and jihadist groups near Solenzo at the time of the killings.

“For them it was a military operation against the terrorists, but [for them] we are the terrorists.…

“The military and the VDPs just prepared an operation to cleanse the area of all the Fulani,” said a 50-year-old man from Solenzo.

Following the atrocities, the Al Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) launched a series of retaliatory attacks in Sourou province, HRW stated.

The jihadists targeted villages they suspected of supporting the military, killing at least 100 civilians.

“All the men had been executed in front of the health centre,” said a 60-year-old woman from Tiao village, describing the April 5 massacre. “I counted up to 70 bodies.”

Witnesses described how government forces entered towns like Di, Gonon, Lanfièra, and Tiao between March 21 and April 2, only to depart shortly after, leaving villagers defenceless.

“The military came, they put on their show… with motorcycles, tanks, helicopters, and they left for Tougan,” said a 49-year-old man from Tiao.

“And then the jihadists [JNIM fighters] came back to surround the village and kill people.”

The HRW therefore urged the Burkinabè government to conduct a transparent and impartial investigation.

The organisation also called on international bodies to intervene.

“The scope of the atrocities committed by government forces, militias, and Islamist armed groups in western Burkina Faso remains grossly overlooked,” said Allegrozzi.

“The United Nations Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council should urgently put Burkina Faso high on their agendas and act to protect civilians still at grave risk.”

The report recalled that in a statement on March 18, Adama Dieng, African Union Special Envoy on the Prevention of Genocide, condemned the killings and emphasised, “targeting individuals based on their ethnicity is a reprehensible act that must be punished by national, continental, and international authorities.”

The High Court in Ouagadougou announced a formal investigation on March 20 into calls for ethnic extermination.

“Calls for the extermination of people belonging to an ethnic group… constitute grave threats to peace and social cohesion,” the prosecutor said.

Eight separate lists compiled by survivors and viewed by HRW name 130 victims, including 32 children, 30 women, and 68 men from villages like Solenzo, Lahirasso, Sanakuy, and Pinpissi.

Many believe the actual number of fatalities is much higher. A religious leader from Solenzo said, “All the people I spoke with provided a death toll that started from 300 and up.”

One survivor, a 30-year-old man from Pinpissi, described a deadly VDP attack on his group of over 100 civilians.

The man said, “There was intense shooting, some people fled, but many were shot and killed. When we crossed the border, we found out that at least 18 people had gone missing, including four children, two women, and one man.”

A 50-year-old Fulani woman summed up the sentiment of many survivors, saying, “We were hiding under a tree when the soldiers passed by with their vehicles and the VDPs on motorcycles.… We watched them kill our people. It was a hunt—nothing else.”

Burkina Faso’s ongoing conflict between government forces, ethnic militias, and Islamist armed groups has left tens of thousands dead and over two million displaced.

The recent allegations raise serious questions about the Burkinabè government’s counterterrorism strategy and its commitment to human rights and the rule of law.

The UN and African Union have been urged to not only investigate the massacres but also to consider sanctions and possible prosecution of those responsible under international law.

Whether Burkina Faso’s transitional authorities will cooperate remains uncertain.

But as the international community watches and survivors bury their dead, many in unmarked mass graves, the pressure for accountability mounts.

“This wasn’t a war between armies,” said the Fulani herder who lost eight family members.

“It was a war against families, women, and children. We are the ones who paid the price.”

https://saharareporters.com/2025/05/12/burkina-faso-military-pro-govt-militias-targeted-massacred-over-130-fulani-civilians-one

Sahara reporters, the media outlet of the highest bidder

Hmm

The "BurkinaFasorian" Military must have taken a harsh radical approach to end terrorism by killing a lot of Fulanis which it is glaring enough to all of us that they are mostly involved in Extremism in the whole of West Africa.

The problem with this is that, a lot of innocent peaceful Fulanis would have also lost their lives in the process

The way it is going, there just may be an organized genocide against the Fulanis all over Africa for all the evils they have been doing even with their minority population. This would mostly happen if different Military personnels should seize power in majority of West African countries hit by this Fulani extremism including Nigeria.
And most seriously, if the Military Government in Nigeria is headed by a Hausa person, that's the end of the Fulanis.

Burkina Faso is not nigeria. Same as Ghana, Mali, Guinea-Conakry, Central African Republic and others that do not tolerate terrorism.

Nigeria would capture Boko haram and give them amnesty

Buhari once said a fight against Boko haram is a fight against the North

Sirmwill:
The problem with this is that, a lot of innocent peaceful Fulanis would have also lost their lives in the process

how did you arrive here (peaceful Fulanis)

Give the innocent one among them chance them will hit you deep 😏😏

Olachase:
how did you arrive here (peaceful Fulanis)

Give the innocent one among them chance them would hit you deep 😏😏

C'mon

Have a heart.

Not all Fulanis are evil.
There are very peaceful good hearted Fulanis

Is ok, over here in the zoo they will tag a Terrorist repentant Terrorist, now I want to ask, I thought the evil Nigeria gvt taged the peaceful ipobs as Terrorist, how come we don't used to see repentant Terrorist from that side?

Sirmwill:
Hmm

The BurkinaFasorian Military must have taken a harsh radical approach to end terrorism by killing a lot of Fulanis which it is glaring enough to all of us that they are mostly involved in Extremism in the whole of West Africa.

The problem with this is that, a lot of innocent peaceful Fulanis would have also lost their lives in the process

The way it is going, there just may be an organized genocide against the Fulanis all over Africa for all the evils they have been doing even with their minority population. This would mostly happen if different Military personnels should seize power in majority of West African countries hit by this Fulani extremism including Nigeria.
And most seriously, if the Military Government in Nigeria is headed by a Hausa person, that's the end of the Fulanis.

point of correction, No innocent nor peaceful Fulanis anywhere,

Caption should be terrorist Islamic fulanis.

Any illegal killing by any military should be condemned

Nice one from the military because those menace are terrorists herdsmen

ALLNIGERIANSMAD:
point of correction, No innocent nor peaceful Fulanis anywhere,

There are!!!


Because there are some Ritualist South Westerners or South Easterners does not mean there are no South Westerners or South Easterners that are not Ritualists

FuglyGurl:
Burkina Faso Military, Pro-Govt Militias Targeted, Massacred Over 130 Fulani Civilians In One Month —HRW



https://saharareporters.com/2025/05/12/burkina-faso-military-pro-govt-militias-targeted-massacred-over-130-fulani-civilians-one

obiedun, come over here.

Sirmwill:
There are!!!


Because there are some Ritualist South Westerners or South Easterners does not mean there are no South Westerners or South Easterners that are not Ritualists

westerners will surely stand against ritualist when they are caught in the act, but Fulanis will support themselves, will never condemned the act when the Evil ones kill innocent people and destroy farmland. That's exactly what you are doing right now

And those Fulanis will eventually find their way into Nigeria,committing brutal crime and shielded by their Nigerian brothers.
It is well.

That is why Fulanis from outside Nigeria are working together with Fulanis in Nigeria to wipe out Benue, Plateau, some parts of Ebonyi, Enugu, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Oyo to enable them bring in their foreign Fulanis to take over the deserted Middlebelt and Southern communities they have sacked and make it Fulani permanent home

So he should allow Fulanis to recreate the daily bloody massacres like they have been doing today in Nigeria unchallenged? Anytime you see Agbado crying heavily about somebody just know the person is doing the right thing and possess transformational leadership qualities

ALLNIGERIANSMAD:
westerners will surely stand against ritualist when they are caught in the act, but Fulanis will support themselves, will never condemned the act when the Evil ones kill innocent people and destroy farmland. That's exactly what you are doing right now

I am not a Fulani person


What if their Fellow Fulani people are not openly condemning the evil acts for fear of being attacked or persecuted since they know how radical dyed-in-the-wool their evil fellows are

See international noise ...because 100 Fulani is killed........but graveyard silence with Fulani kill 1000 of sleeping farmers and landowners..