Burkina Faso: Jihadist attacks have killed about 50 civilians since May, HRW says

Three jihadist attacks in northern Burkina Faso since May have killed about 50 civilians, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday.

 In a new report, the NGO blamed the attacks on the al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen (JNIM) and the Islamic State in the Sahel province (IS Sahel). 

According to HRW, JNIM attacked the town of Djibo in May and the village of Youba in early August, altogether killing 40 civilians. 

In July, IS Sahel attacked a civilian convoy bringing humanitarian aid to the besieged town of Gorom Gorom, killing at least 9 civilians.  

Human Rights Watch said these assaults violated international humanitarian law and were apparent war crimes. 

Burkina Faso has been ruled by a military junta for almost three years. Under the rule of Ibrahim Traoré, military leaders have vowed to eliminate violence and restore security, but deadly attacks still plague the country. 

Human Rights Watch informed Burkina Faso’s justice and defence ministers of its recent findings on 21 August 21 but said it received no response. 

“The Islamist armed groups in Burkina Faso have been responsible for repeated atrocities against civilians since 2016,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch.

“The authorities should provide better protection for all civilians at risk, investigate abuses, including those by the military and allied militias, and fairly prosecute those responsible.”

Aside from jihadist groups, the military has also been accused of targeting civilians. In March, HRW said Burkina Faso government forces had killed at least 100 civilians in the west of the country.

The organisation also urged the African Union to put pressure on Burkina Faso to provide an appropriate response to these repeated abuses.