Burkina Faso’s armed forces have launched an investigation into a disturbing video that appears to show military volunteers brutally dismembering a dead body with machetes while taunting the camera. The military has vowed to verify the authenticity of the footage and identify those involved, with plans to hold them accountable if the allegations are confirmed.
The video, which emerged over the weekend, depicts a mutilated corpse with its head and limbs severed, and its stomach cut open. In the footage, men are heard shouting phrases in Dioula, with one claiming, “We beat them,” and another exclaiming, “It will all end this year. May God bless the VDP” – referring to the Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP), a militia group established in 2020 to support the government’s fight against insurgents.
Although some of the men in the video are seen in military fatigues, there is no further information about their identities, nor where or when the incident occurred. This is not the first instance of such footage surfacing; similar videos showing suspected soldiers and militia members committing atrocities were circulated in July, which prompted public condemnation from Burkina Faso’s army.
The military, which took control nearly three years ago, has been struggling to combat Islamist insurgencies that have displaced around two million people, with an estimated 40% of the country now under the control of armed groups. Despite promises to restore security, the situation has worsened.
Human rights organizations have raised concerns about widespread abuses, with reports of extrajudicial killings and massacres, including one earlier this year in which over 220 civilians, including at least 56 children, were killed in a single incident. The government has not commented on those allegations.
In response to the latest outrage, the military’s general staff insisted that all operations are conducted with “the greatest respect for human rights.” Burkina Faso, located in the volatile Sahel region of West Africa, has seen increasing instability, with Russian military support growing after the departure of French forces last year. The military has turned to Russia for assistance, with the foreign minister praising their partnership over the former colonial power, France.
As Burkina Faso’s alliances shift, Western powers, including the European Union, have pledged to continue supporting the country despite the evolving regional dynamics and security challenges.
