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Human Rights Watch reported on Thursday that terrorists linked to Al-Qaeda have killed at least 38 civilians and kidnapped nine women in Burkina Faso over the course of less than a month.
The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), a powerful radical militia that has destabilised the Sahel region for over a decade, is identified as the perpetrator of these atrocities.
The attacks are part of a broader insurgent campaign that saw the group launch multiple strikes in February, aimed at expanding its influence further south into neighbouring Benin.
The human rights watchdog documented three specific incidents occurring between late January and late February.
In one instance, terrorists abducted nine women near the northern village of Sollé, threatening them with death and sexual violence before releasing them the following day.
Survivors recounted that the attackers suspected them of being spies or relatives of the government-aligned civilian volunteer militia.
These acts, which HRW has categorised as apparent war crimes, targeted communities perceived to have ties to state-backed security forces.
On February 14, the violence escalated in the town of Titao, where fighters executed at least 34 civilians and destroyed critical telecommunications infrastructure during a raid on a military base.
Witnesses described a scene of chaos as men were gunned down while trying to flee. Later that month, four shopkeepers were executed in the eastern town of Manni during an attack on local security positions.
Despite the military junta’s 2022 coup intended to curb such violence, Burkina Faso remains the epicentre of a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since 2015.
