HRW Report Accuses Burkina Faso Junta of Atrocities

Burkina Faso's military junta, led by Captain Ibrahim Traore, faces accusations of widespread atrocities amid an escalating conflict with jihadist groups, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch. The report, released Thursday, documents at least 1,837 civilian deaths between January 2023 and August 2025, with government forces and allied militias responsible for more than 1,200 killings, over twice the number attributed to the al-Qaeda-linked group Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin, or JNIM.

The 316-page investigation, titled "None Can Run Away," details 57 verified incidents across 11 regions, based on interviews with more than 450 people in Burkina Faso and neighboring countries, as well as analysis of satellite imagery, videos, and official documents. It accuses all parties of war crimes, including willful killings, attacks on civilians, pillage, looting, and forced displacement, as well as crimes against humanity such as murder and ethnic cleansing. Government forces and the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland, or VDPs, civilian militias supporting the army, have targeted Fulani communities, often accused of sympathizing with insurgents, leading to the...