Army planes were said to be hovering overhead as the killings were carried out, demonstrating command control of the operation. At least 130 civilians from the Fulani ethnic group were killed by Burkina Faso’s army and allied militias close to the western town of Solenzo in March, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has stated.
The massacre occurred during a massive weeks-long campaign by the special forces that left “widespread civilian casualties and mass displacement” of the Fulani pastoralist group in the region, the rights organization reported on Monday
It went on to state that an Al-Qaeda-linked faction known as the Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) subsequently conducted a wave of retaliatory attacks, targeting villages which the armed group had seen as having supported the military.
Ilaria Allegrozzi, HRW senior Sahel researcher, said in a statement that “the viral videos of the atrocities by pro-government militias near Solenzo” that circulated initially “told only part of the story”. Subsequent research revealed that Burkina Faso’s army was behind these Fulani civilian massacres, which were later retaliated against with lethal force by an Islamist militant group,” Allegrozzi added.
HRW had already reported in March that government involvement was possible based on online video evidence.
The government had vehemently disclaimed the charge at the time, stating in a statement it “condemned the promotion, on social media, of hate-inducing images and inciting community violence, and fake news intended to undermine social harmony” in the West African nation.
Burkina Faso’s army and government didn’t immediately respond to Monday’s report, which claimed that the Burkinabe military “led and took part in the massacre of over 130, possibly dozens more, ethnic Fulani civilians by pro-government militias.”.
