Human Rights Watch (HRW) has linked pro-junta militias to a brutal massacre in western Burkina Faso that left dozens dead earlier this week. The attack, which occurred in the Solenzo area on March 10 and 11, is said to have been carried out by militias supporting the country’s military junta, HRW reported on Friday.
Disturbing videos circulating on social media show armed men in militia uniforms, aligned with Burkina Faso’s military government, standing over the bodies of 58 individuals, including women and children. The rights group noted that the actual death toll could be higher, as bodies appeared stacked on top of one another.
The victims are believed to be from the Fulani ethnic group, which has been accused by the government of supporting Islamist groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS. HRW condemned the lack of accountability for the militias and security forces involved in such attacks.
“This gruesome massacre highlights the widespread impunity these forces operate with,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at HRW.
Burkina Faso’s government, which came to power in a 2022 coup, has not yet commented on the incident. The country, along with neighboring Mali and Niger, has been struggling with a jihadist insurgency that has plagued the region for over a decade.
