Burkina Faso: Massacre Shows Need to Protect Civilians

(Nairobi, October 29, 2024) – An Islamist armed group’s massacre of at least 133 people shows the inadequacy of Burkina Faso’s government efforts to protect civilians, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should promptly and thoroughly investigate the mass killings in the town of Barsalogho, Sanmatenga province, and bring those responsible to justice. On August 24, 2024, the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen, JNIM) attacked hundreds of civilians who were digging a military trench to protect Barsalogho, which has a military base. The attackers also fired upon many other civilians in the vicinity of the trench. Human Rights Watch confirmed through video analysis and witness accounts that least 133 people were killed, including dozens of children, and at least 200 more were injured.