Military Drones in the Sky, Massacre on the Ground – At Least 130 Civilians Killed by Army and Militias in Burkina Faso, Including Women and Children

Military Drones in the Sky, Massacre on the Ground – At Least 130 Civilians Killed by Army and Militias in Burkina Faso, Including Women and Children

As military drones circled overhead, a massacre was unfolding below—evidence of direct military command and control in the operation, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

In a report published Monday, HRW revealed that in March, near the western Burkina Faso town of Solenzo, government forces and allied militias killed at least 130 Fulani civilian residents. The killings occurred during a week-long military operation led by special forces. HRW described it as causing “mass civilian deaths and mass displacement among the nomadic Fulani community.” Following the massacre, the al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadist group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) launched retaliatory attacks on villages believed to have assisted the military.

Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior researcher for HRW’s Sahel region, stated, “The viral video showing atrocities committed by government-backed militias near Solenzo tells only part of the story. Further investigations revealed that the Burkina Faso army was primarily responsible for the massacre, which prompted deadly retaliation by Islamist armed groups. The government must conduct an impartial investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice.”

“Many Women and Children Were Killed”

HRW had previously reported in March that the government might be involved, based on videos circulated online. At the time, the Burkina Faso government strongly denied the accusations and issued a statement condemning “the spread of false information aimed at inciting hate, ethnic violence, and undermining social cohesion on social media.”

However, the report released on Monday states that the military “led and participated in the killing of more than 130—and possibly many more—Fulani civilians in collaboration with government-backed militias.”

The report is based on interviews with eyewitnesses, militia members, journalists, and members of civil society.

Eyewitnesses told HRW that hundreds of government soldiers, drones, and the government-backed militia known as the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) carried out attacks in Solenzo and surrounding towns. They said most of the victims in Banwa Province were women, children, and the elderly.

HRW added that military helicopters and drones were monitoring the area, suggesting direct operational oversight by the armed forces.

A 44-year-old Fulani herder, who lost eight family members in the attacks, told HRW, “Thousands of families from over 20 villages were forced to flee to neighboring Mali for safety. But to get to Mali, we had to pass through villages controlled by the army and VDP. They shot at us like animals, and drones were flying overhead. Many women and children couldn’t run fast enough and died.”

The military is reportedly widely recruiting civilians and converting them into poorly trained militias, which is further inflaming ethnic tensions.