Nairobi – Human Rights Watch has reported a surge in atrocities committed by Islamist armed groups in Burkina Faso, including killings, looting, and arson. Since late 2022, these groups have carried out attacks across the country, displacing thousands and cutting off residents from basic necessities and humanitarian aid. The transitional military government announced a “general mobilization” in April 2023 as part of its plan to recapture the lost territories.
According to Carine Kaneza Nantulya, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch, these armed groups are causing havoc in Burkina Faso by targeting villages and towns and committing atrocities against civilians. Nantulya highlighted the need for stronger protection and assistance for vulnerable populations, calling on the transitional authorities to collaborate with regional bodies and concerned governments.
The neighboring country of Mali has been the epicenter of an Islamist insurgency that has spread to Burkina Faso since 2015. The armed groups, including the Al-Qaeda linked Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, now control up to 40 percent of Burkina Faso’s territory. This has resulted in large-scale displacement and thousands of casualties, leading to two military coups in Burkina Faso since 2022.
Human Rights Watch conducted interviews between January and May with 36 individuals who had witnessed or experienced abuses by Islamist armed groups in Burkina Faso. These testimonies revealed a pattern of attacks, targeted killings, and the use of displacement as a means to exert control and punish collaboration with government forces.
The military authorities have heavily relied on local militias, known as Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDPs), to counter the attacks by Islamist armed groups. However, the armed groups have retaliated by targeting villages suspected of supporting the militias.
One resident of Dassa recounted how Islamist fighters killed 12 men in retaliation for the recruitment of VDPs in the area. Another resident from Zincko described how armed fighters issued an ultimatum for residents to leave the area within 48 hours, causing mass displacement. These attacks have resulted in starvation and illness among the affected populations.
Human Rights Watch has previously documented the abuses committed by the Islamist armed groups, which include summary executions, rapes, abductions, and pillaging. However, the Burkina Faso armed forces and pro-government militias have also been implicated in serious abuses during their operations against the armed groups.
The fighting between the government and the armed groups has been classified as a non-international armed conflict under the laws of war. The laws of war prohibit attacks on civilians, summary executions, collective punishment, looting, and arson. Individuals who commit serious violations of these laws with criminal intent can be held accountable for war crimes.
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights has condemned the terrorist attacks on both the defense and security forces and the civilian population in Burkina Faso. The commission emphasized the responsibility of the state to prevent such killings, ensure proper investigations, and hold perpetrators accountable.
The continued attacks by Islamist armed groups have instilled fear in Burkina Faso, leading to retaliatory killings and a deterioration of the humanitarian situation. The besieged town of Djibo, in particular, has been cut off from essential goods and services, causing starvation and displacement of its residents.
The situation in Burkina Faso requires urgent attention and intervention from the international community. The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights should play a critical role in facilitating impartial investigations and prosecutions of those responsible for the atrocities committed by the Islamist armed groups.
