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Human Rights Watch has uncovered a harrowing account of civilian casualties in Burkina Faso, documenting over 220 deaths in a single day this year. Shockingly, among the victims were at least 56 children, all allegedly targeted in atrocities attributed to the country’s military.
The tragic events unfolded on February 25th, with the village of Soro bearing witness to the loss of 179 lives, while the neighboring village of Nondin mourned the deaths of 44 individuals. Described as some of the most egregious abuses by the army in nearly a decade, these mass killings have drawn international condemnation.
Despite the damning report, Burkina Faso authorities have remained conspicuously silent. However, public prosecutor Aly Benjamin Coulibaly has issued a public plea for witnesses to step forward and aid in identifying those responsible for the massacre, initially estimating the death toll at 170.
Eyewitnesses provided chilling accounts of the military’s onslaught. Survivors recounted a convoy of over 100 soldiers descending upon Nondin village shortly after Islamist fighters had passed through. Villagers were forcibly removed from their homes, herded into groups, and mercilessly gunned down, sparing no one, not even those seeking refuge.
The brutality extended to Soro village, just 5 kilometers away, where the military replicated their deadly actions, indiscriminately firing at villagers and fleeing civilians alike.
These heinous acts were purportedly justified as retaliation against villagers accused of aiding Islamist fighters following an insurgent attack on a nearby military camp in the northern Yatenga province.
Tirana Hassan, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, unequivocally condemned the massacres, citing them as the latest in a series of civilian atrocities committed by the Burkina Faso military in their counterinsurgency efforts.
Burkina Faso, under military junta rule since a coup in 2022, had pledged to quash the insurgency. However, violence has persisted, with jihadist groups now controlling a significant portion of the country.
International entities, including the European Union and the United Nations, have accused Burkina Faso of grave human rights violations in its fight against insurgency, highlighting indiscriminate killings and forced disappearances as among the atrocities perpetrated.
