Burkina Faso Horror: Military Forces Kill 223 Civilians, Including Babies

Following a military attack on two communities in Burkina Faso, 223 people—including babies—were massacred.

According to a report released on Thursday by Human Rights Watch, military forces in Burkina Faso killed 223 people, including newborns and numerous children, in strikes on two villages suspected of working with militants.

56 children were among the victims of the horrific attacks that took place on February 25 in the northern villages of Nondin and Soro, according to the report. Human Rights Watch has called on the African Union and the UN to send investigators and support local efforts to pursue those accountable for these killings.

According to a news release from Human Rights Watch Executive Director Tirana Hassan, “the massacres in Nondin and Soro villages are just the latest mass killings of civilians by the Burkina Faso military in their counterinsurgency operations.”

He emphasized that in order to support a credible inquiry into possible crimes against humanity, foreign help is “critical.”

Once renowned for its peace, Burkina Faso has been rocked by bloodshed as forces supported by the government struggle with jihadist groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State organization. More than two million people have been displaced as a result of both sides’ targeting of innocent bystanders, with children making up more than half of those affected. Numerous attacks remain unreported and unsolved as a result of the nation’s authoritarian leadership and the silence of dissenting voices.

Since jihadist violence linked to the Islamic State group and al-Qaida broke out in Burkina Faso nine years ago, more than 20,000 people have died in the country, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, a nonprofit organization with headquarters in the United States.

The junta led by Capt. Ibrahim Traoré, which took over in September 2022 after two coups, promised to fight extremists. Analysts point out that, since then, the level of violence has only increased, and about half of Burkina Faso’s area is still uncontrolled.

Disappointed with what it saw as a lack of progress after years of military support from the West, the junta broke military connections with former colonial power France and turned to Russia for security aid.