Burkina Army, jihadists killed more than 1,800 civilians since 2023: Human Rights Watch

Burkina’s ruling junta led by Captain Ibrahim Traore that took power in a September 2022 coup has been unable to stem violence waged by jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, which have caused thousands of deaths over the past decade, according to a report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW), on Thursday (April 2, 2026).

According to the HRW, the Army relies on the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), made up of civilian volunteers recruited to aid in the fight against jihadists.

“The Army, VDP and the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, an Al-Qaeda affiliate known by its Arabic acronym JNIM, have killed “at least 1,837 civilians in 11 regions of the country between January 2023 and August 2025”, including dozens of children, in 57 incidents,” HRW said.

“The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) should open a preliminary examination into war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by all parties to the conflict in Burkina Faso since September 2022,” the report said.

Of the total killed, HRW found that at least 1,255 civilians were killed in 33 incidents carried out by the military and VDPs between January 2023 and April 2025, while JNIM was responsible for at least 582 deaths in 24 attacks over that same period.

The rights watchdog said its report was based on verification and analysis of open source information — including photos, videos and satellite imagery — along with interviews with more than 450 people living in Burkina Faso, Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Mali.

‘Butchery’

“In one of the deadliest attacks, “Burkinabe military and VDPs killed hundreds of civilians in at least 16 villages and hamlets north of Djibo over several days” in December 2023,” HRW said.

“Many survivors described the killings as ‘butchery’ and said they were left with deep psychological wounds,” the report noted.

HRW also accused the JNIM of targeting civilians who refused to submit to its authority or whom it accused of supporting government forces.

In August 2024, in the VDP-stronghold town of Barsalogho, JNIM fighters “shot dead at least 133 people and injured more than 200 in fewer than two hours”, the report said.

As transitional President and Army commander, junta chief Traore “should be impartially investigated for criminal liability for all abuses by the Burkinabe military and VDPs documented in this report that amount to serious international crimes, as a matter of command responsibility,” HRW said.

“Six other leaders, including Burkina Faso’s Ambassador to Washington and former Defence Minister Kassoum Coulibaly, current Defence Minister Celestin Simpore and Army major general Moussa Diallo, should also be investigated for their role,” HRW said.

The rights group also called for JNIM’s leadership, including supreme leader Iyad Ag Ghaly and second-in-command Amadou Kouffa, as well as Burkina’s JNIM country leader Jafar Dicko and his brother Ousmane Dicko to be investigated for criminal liability for JNIM abuses.

HRW also called on Burkina Faso’s partners and donors to impose sanctions and to refrain from cooperating with the country’s Army.