Burkina Faso Army, militias killed 130 members of the ethnic group, says HRW

At least 130 civilians belonging to the Fulani -ethnic group were killed by Burkina Fasos Army and Allied militias near the western city maggot in March, said Human Rights Watch (HRW).

The murders took place in the middle of a weekly military campaign by Special Forces, which led to “widespread civilian deaths and massive displacement” of the Fulani pastoralist community in the region, the right group announced in a report on Monday.

It also added that an al-Qaeda-connected group called Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam WA al-Muslimin (JNIM) carried out a number of retaliation trenches and hit the village that the armed group had considered assisted.

Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahelforscher at HRW, said in a statement that the virus videos of the atrocities through state militias near Solenzo “, which Kirinitial” only told part of the story “spread.

“Further studies discovered that Burkina Faso’s military was responsible for this mass murder of Fulani civilians, followed by fatal reprisals of an Islamist armed group,” added Allegrozzi.

“The government has to investigate these deaths impartially and pursue all those responsible.”

“Many women and children died”

HRW reported in March that the government’s participation was probably due to video evidence online.

At that time, the government emphasized the allegations and said in a statement that it “condemned the spread in social media, of pictures that induce hatred and violence in the community, and fake information that aimed to undermine social cohesion” in the West African country.

The government and the army of Burkina Faso did not immediately respond to the report on Monday, in which the Burkinabe Army claimed “to more than 130, possibly much more, ethnic fulani civilists from the government’s militias and participated in the massacre and participated.”

The report of the rights organization is based on interviews with witnesses of the attacks, militia members, journalists and members of civil society.

Witnesses quoted by HRW said that hundreds of government groups and drones as well as a state militia, which was referred to as volunteers to defend the home country (VDP), were involved in attacks on Solenzo and other cities in the Western Boucle du Mouhoun region.

The witnesses said that most victims in the province of Banwa were women, children and the elderly.

Military helicopters and drones monitored the area “Specification of the direct command control of the operation,” said HRW.

A 44-year-old fulani shirt, who lost eight family members, said HRW, that thousands of families from more than 20 villages were forced to flee in the neighboring Mali in search of protection.

“However, we could not reach Mali without crossing any villages (that was) occupied by the VDPS and the army. The VDPS shot like animals on us while drones fly over our heads. Many women and children died because they could not run,” he said.

The military ruler took over power in Burkina Faso in 2022, but they have largely not managed to deliver the promised stability, since more than 60 percent of the country estimates the government’s control.

The military has also turned to the mass recruitment of civilians who are used in poorly trained military units, which leads to a deterioration in tensions between ethnic groups.