By Ezekiel David
Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports that jihadist groups in Burkina Faso have increased their attacks on civilians, frequently taking revenge on communities who either refuse to join them or are thought to be supporting government forces.
The West African country, led by a military junta, has struggled with Islamist insurgents linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State since they infiltrated from Mali nearly a decade ago.
Military leader Ibrahim Traore has urged civilian involvement in combating the insurgency, recruiting thousands of volunteer army auxiliaries, known as VDPs, and recently requiring civilians to dig defensive trenches. In response, jihadists have launched increasingly deadly attacks on civilians, HRW reported.
At least 128 civilians were killed in seven Islamist strikes between February and June, according to information compiled by HRW. Villages, a camp for internally displaced people, and worshippers in a Catholic church were the targets of these strikes. Suspicion of civilian participation with the army led the al Qaeda-affiliated group Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) to claim credit for six of these attacks.
Witnesses reported that some villagers were killed after authorities compelled them to return to areas previously controlled by jihadists because they had joined the VDPs. “We are between a rock and a hard place,” a 56-year-old villager told HRW.
The ISIS-affiliated Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) claimed a February church massacre, allegedly targeting Christians who refused to abandon their faith. The junta, previously critical of HRW’s reports on military abuses, sent a rare written response in August. The justice minister refuted claims of sluggish prosecutions and stated that all human rights violations by insurgents were under investigation. The minister also asserted that displaced individuals had voluntarily returned to areas secured by security forces.
A JNIM attack in late August that killed hundreds of civilians after they were ordered to dig trenches near Barsalogho—one of the worst episodes in Burkina Faso’s history—was not included in the HRW report. Improved security was a pledge made by Traore, who took over in September 2022 following another coup. Still, analysts and human rights organisations say that under his direction, things have gotten worse, with more bloodshed and a crackdown on dissent.
(Source: Reuters)
