₦airaland Forum

More than 1,800 civilians have been killed in Burkina Faso since Ibrahim Traoré seized power three years ago in acts amounting to "war crimes and crimes against humanity", a new report says.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) says about 1,837 civilians, including dozens of children, were killed in 57 incidents between January 2023 and August 2025.

It attributes most of the killings - 1,255 - to the military and allied militias, with the rest blamed on Islamist militants.

HRW finds President 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 BBC has asked the Burkinabé authorities to comment on the report. They have dismissed previous accusations that their forces have killed civilians.

One of the reasons the military gave for seizing power was to tackle the jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda who have been waging an insurgency in Burkina Faso and neighbouring countries for over a decade and control huge parts of the country.

The report is based on analysis of open-source information, including photos, videos and satellite imagery, and 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.

It accuses the junta of committing "horrific abuses" and failing to hold perpetrators to account while blocking reporting to hide the suffering of civilians caught in the violence.

"The scale of atrocities taking place in Burkina Faso is mind-boggling, as is the lack of global attention to this crisis," says Philippe Bolopion, HRW's executive director.

The report cites one of the deadliest incidents in December 2023 in which it says the military and allied militias killed more than 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.

"Make sure no-one is breathing before heading out," she recounted a militia member as saying.

Survivors described the killings as brutal and said they continue to suffer deep psychological trauma.

"Many survivors described the killings as 'butchery' and said they were left with deep psychological wounds," the report notes.

The militias allied with the military are the so-called Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP) - 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 to punish them.

"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".

Since the military government seized power, authorities have been accused of carrying out brutal campaigns increasingly targeting civilians in response to attacks by al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM, the biggest jihadist group in the country.

Civilians described to HRW a feeling of being "caught between a rock and a hard place", threatened with death by JNIM while also being targeted by government forces.

The rights group says JNIM has used widespread threats and violence to dominate and punish communities and has targeted civilians refusing to submit to its authority, whom it accuses of supporting the government.

In August 2024, JNIM attackers "shot dead at least 133 people and injured more than 200 in fewer than two hours", it says.

HRW is now urging the International Criminal Court to open a preliminary investigation into the alleged crimes committed by all the parties since September 2022.

It has also called on Burkina Faso's partners and donors to impose sanctions and to refrain from cooperating with the country's army.

Traoré seized power in September 2022 after overthrowing Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who had taken over only nine months earlier.

Despite his authoritarian reputation, 38-year-old Traoré has gained a huge following across the continent for his pan-Africanist vision and criticism of Western influence.

Burkina Faso, like its neighbours Mali and Niger which are also under military rule, has moved away from working with Western countries, especially France, in its fight against the Islamist groups. All three have instead turned towards Russia for military assistance, however the violence has continued unabated.

Pakute:
Mynd44 nlfpmod seun Dominique

donleo92:
And he is some people's Messiah. Because he is against the west

The worst democracy is way better than military rule

That's my opinion.

People of bukina faso are crying bitterly, but you no go know

donleo92:
And he is some people's Messiah. Because he is against the west

The worst democracy is way better than military rule

That's my opinion.

People of bukina faso are crying bitterly, but you no go know

Pakute:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgr639007zo

Pakute:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgr639007zo

Gotocourt:
It's matter of time, they'll come for this boy🤷🏿.

ponziponzi:
.

And how many have died in your country? People dying like chickens every day.

BTW, countries like South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Chile, Brazil, Spain etc all became what they are today because of the foundation left by decade of military rule. It is what the rulers do with the power that matters and not the form. Africans are generally wicked and lack foresight. Even democracy in African is a rouse, a country like Cameroon is considered democracy with the same president since 1982 and hasn’t made any meaningful impact for the country except living like a king and giving the resource of the country to their masters

erad:
Lol... While I'm not a fan of Traore, I'm definitely not a fan of these west-sponsored human rights groups.

They are the first step to Western invasion. They spread the lies and initiate the propaganda that those ones will build on as justification. Watch as the western focus will suddenly be on BF.

makjo900:
They have started building narratives, see mu.mu people comments. They will soon act like messiah and sell the democracy lies. It's so unfortunate, that many people still can't decode these easy lies

donleo92:
And he is some people's Messiah. Because he is against the west

The worst democracy is way better than military rule

That's my opinion.

People of bukina faso are crying bitterly, but you no go know

makjo900:
They have started building narratives, see mu.mu people comments. They will soon act like messiah and sell the democracy lies. It's so unfortunate, that many people still can't decode these easy lies

donleo92:
And he is some people's Messiah. Because he is against the west

The worst democracy is way better than military rule

That's my opinion.

People of bukina faso are crying bitterly, but you no go know

donleo92:
And he is some people's Messiah. Because he is against the west

The worst democracy is way better than military rule

That's my opinion.

People of bukina faso are crying bitterly, but you no go know

nairalanda1:
So, how about many African countries who ended up under army rule, are they better than they were before Army rule?

Brazil self, was already developing before army rule took over. Thailand and Indonesia still have high levels of poverty. Spain has developed far more under civillian rule than under the rule of Franco. South Korea, yeah, I'll give you that....but South Korea is developed because it woke up and realized they did not have enough natural resources.

The problem with you guys is that you do not even want to do what South Korea did to be developed. You want a army government that would dash you money well well. And if democracy no dey dash una money, na army you want.

You don't want to do what Park OF korea did...allowed rich families to set up domestic industries that would export in return for them paying limited taxes, and getting government favors. ...meanwhile most of you start screaming oppressor when dangote gets some grant from government or something. And it took ten years of hardship, before the benefits started trickling in. Japan self, Japan took decades before it reaped the benefits of industires. And both korea and japan had large numbers of their people japa when times were hard.

South Africa that has been a democracy self, is better than Nigeria. How do you explain that.

I want tinubu out. But I don't want army rule. Army rule took us from bad in 1983, to worse in 1999. ANd let's not talk about 1966..where in one year time we had a brutal civil war on our hand

Johnrake69:
BBC media propaganda war against Captain Ibrahim Traore is so clear.

I will like to see BBC coverage of the killings happening in Nigeria.

donleo92:
And he is some people's Messiah. Because he is against the west

The worst democracy is way better than military rule

That's my opinion.

People of bukina faso are crying bitterly, but you no go know