Burkina Faso puts civilians at risk during conflict with rebels: HRW

Government accused of targeting people during August attack by an al-Qaeda-linked armed group.

Burkina Faso must urgently prioritize the protection of civilians amid the ongoing battle with armed rebels, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report.

The NGO said on Tuesday that the government “unnecessarily endangered” people during an armed group attack earlier this year. At least 133 people were killed in August by the al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).

The incident in the central part of the country was one of the deadliest this year, as Burkina Faso continues to be ravaged by attacks from armed groups.

Villagers in the municipality of Barsalogho, 80 km from the capital Ouagadougou, were forced to help security forces dig trenches to protect security posts and villages. JNIM fighters then opened fire on them, according to witnesses quoted in the report.

Many villagers, who were not compensated for digging the trenches, are said to have refused to help, fearing they would be exposed to attack. However, the report says they were forced to carry out this task by the military, using threats and abuse.

JNIM, which claimed responsibility for the August 24 attack, said it targeted the villagers because it considered them fighters linked to the state.

HRW said it confirmed the killings through video analysis and witness statements, adding that dozens of children were also killed and at least 200 more people were injured, calling the attack “a clear war crime.”

“The Barsalogho massacre is the latest example of atrocities by Islamist armed groups against civilians whom the government has unnecessarily endangered,” said Carine Kaneza Nantulya, HRW deputy Africa director. “The authorities must urgently prioritize the protection of citizens.”

However, Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala rejected HRW’s claims, noting that forced labor is prohibited by law and that allegations that the military forced people to dig the trench “are not proven.”

Fighters linked to Al Qaeda and the ISIL group (ISIS) have killed thousands of people and displaced more than two million in Burkina Faso, leaving half of the country outside government control.

The violence resulted in two coups in 2022. However, the military government has struggled to deliver on its pledge to end the violence despite seeking new security partnerships with Russia and neighboring countries in West Africa.

The government’s reliance on armed civilian groups known as Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland also puts civilians at risk, Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at HRW, told the Associated Press news agency.