Burkina Faso’s military forces are accused of massacring 223 civilians, including 56 children, in attacks on the northern villages of Nondin and Soro, according to a report by Human Rights Watch. The killings, which occurred on February 25, targeted villages accused of cooperating with militants. Human Rights Watch has called for international assistance to support a credible investigation into possible crimes against humanity. The violence in Burkina Faso, caught between jihadis linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group and state-backed forces, has displaced over 2 million people, with more than half being children.
Despite a repressive leadership silencing dissent, the HRW report offers a rare firsthand account of the killings, revealing a stark increase in civilian casualties by Burkina Faso’s security forces. The government, while denying involvement in civilian deaths, often attributes attacks to jihadi fighters disguised as soldiers. The junta, in power since September 2022, has promised to combat militants, but violence continues to escalate, with over half of Burkina Faso’s territory remaining outside government control.