A devastating new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) reveals that more than 1,800 civilians have been slaughtered in Burkina Faso since military leader Ibrahim Traoré seized control of the nation, with the rights group warning that the atrocities likely amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The extensive investigation documented 57 separate incidents that resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,837 civilians, including dozens of children. The staggering death toll is driven by extreme violence from both state forces and militant insurgents, leaving ordinary citizens navigating a deadly, everyday battleground.
According to the findings, the Burkinabé military and its allied civilian militias are responsible for the vast majority of the bloodshed, accounting for 1,255 of the documented fatalities. The remaining deaths are attributed to Islamist militant factions, predominantly the al-Qaeda-affiliated group JNIM.
HRW has pointed directly to the top brass, stating that President Traoré, six senior military commanders, and five jihadist leaders could be held legally accountable for the grave abuses under the principle of command responsibility.
"The scale of atrocities taking place in Burkina Faso is mind-boggling, as is the lack of global attention to this crisis," said Philippe Bolopion, executive director of HRW.
The rights organization is now urging the International Criminal Court (ICC) to launch a preliminary investigation into crimes committed by all parties since September 2022. Furthermore, they are demanding that international partners impose targeted sanctions and halt all cooperation with Burkina Faso's armed forces.
A Nation Trapped Between Two Terrors
Civilians described a harrowing reality of being caught between warring factions. Those living in conflict zones face the constant threat of execution by JNIM militants if they refuse to submit, while simultaneously being targeted by government forces who suspect them of harboring rebel sympathies.
The brutality detailed in the report is severe. In December 2023, military forces and their allied civilian militia—known as the Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP)—allegedly executed over 400 civilians in the northern town of Djibo. One 35-year-old survivor recounted losing her two daughters in the massacre while she and her infant son sustained bullet wounds. She recalled hearing a militia member chillingly instruct his peers to "make sure no-one is breathing before heading out."
Conversely, JNIM has unleashed its own reign of terror to force community submission. In a particularly brutal assault in August 2024, insurgents gunned down at least 133 individuals and wounded over 200 more in a span of less than two hours.
Political Context and Geopolitical Shifts
Traoré, 37, took power in a September 2022 coup—the country's second in nine months—promising to crush the decade-long jihadist insurgency that has fractured the West African nation.
Since then, his junta has actively recruited civilians into the VDP. The regime has also faced fierce pushback for allegedly forcing its vocal critics into these militias as a punitive measure. Traoré has aggressively defended the conscription policies, arguing that national survival and discipline supersede individual liberties.
Internationally, Traoré has cultivated a powerful pan-Africanist image, aggressively rebuking Western influence. Following the path of neighboring military regimes in Mali and Niger, Burkina Faso has severed traditional security ties with France and pivoted toward Russia for military support. Despite these drastic geopolitical maneuvers, the violence tearing through the country has only intensified.
The Burkinabé government has historically denied allegations of military forces executing civilians and has yet to formally respond to the latest HRW findings.