
Burkina Faso forces killed at least 100 civilians in March attack: Human Rights Watch
DAKAR: At least 100 civilians were killed by Burkina Faso government forces in March near the western town of Solenzo, Human Rights Watch said Monday.
According to victim testimony and videos shared on social media gathered by the rights group, the attackers were Burkina Faso special forces and members of a pro-government militia, the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland. The victims were all ethnic Fulani, a pastoralist community that is widespread across the region, which the government has long accused of supporting Muslim militants.
An earlier report from Human Rights Watch stated that the government's involvement was likely, because of video evidence on social media, although the findings were not definitive. The government issued a sharp denial when first reports surfaced, saying in a statement it 'condemned the propagation, on social media, of images inducing hate and community violence, and fake information aimed at undermining social cohesion' in the country.
'The viral videos of the atrocities by pro-government militias near Solenzo sent shock waves through Africa's Sahel region, but they told only part of the story,' said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch. 'Further research uncovered that Burkina Faso's military was responsible for these mass killings of Fulani civilians, which were followed by deadly reprisals by an Islamist armed group. The government needs to impartially investigate these deaths and prosecute all those responsible.'
Burkina Faso authorities did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the group's new report.
The landlocked nation of 23 million people has symbolized the security crisis in the arid Sahel region south of the Sahara in recent years. It has been shaken by violence from extremist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, and the governments fighting them.
The military junta, which took power in 2022, failed to provide the stability it promised. According to conservative estimates, more than 60% of the country is now outside of government control, more than 2.1 million people have lost their homes and almost 6.5 million need humanitarian aid to survive.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Bengal makes minor tweaks to OBC list struck down by HC
1 2 Kolkata: Bengal's new OBC list, tabled by state govt in the assembly on Tuesday, has minor changes compared to the previous list. While the earlier list, struck down by the Calcutta High Court, had 113 OBC subgroups with 77 Muslim and 36 others, the new OBC list has 140 subgroups, 80 of them Muslim. Supreme Court is hearing a challenge by Bengal govt against the HC scrapping of the earlier list, impacting around 5 lakh OBC certificates. The state had told the SC that it would complete its fresh OBC survey by the end of June. The survey tabled on Tuesday also indicated that state is hearing representations from 50 more OBC groups. The percentage of Muslims in the new OBC list is 57.1. While there are 73.4% Muslims in the OBC 'A' category (in a total of 49 subgroups, 36 are Muslims and 13 non-Muslims), OBC 'B' has 48.3% Muslims (there are 91 subgroups, of which 44 are Muslims, and 47 are non-Muslims). The HC ruling had reduced 17% OBC reservations in the state to 7%. The report tabled on Tuesday allows Bengal govt to restore OBC reservation to 17%, allocating 7% for OBC 'A' and 10% for OBC 'B'. This is set to increase slightly with 50 additional groups being evaluated. The legal deadlock on the OBC issue had an overriding impact in Bengal, from pausing admissions to schools, colleges and universities to state govt recruitments. CM Mamata Banerjee, speaking in the assembly on Tuesday, had said that the issuance of OBC certificates for college admissions and govt jobs would resume immediately. "Many recruitment boards kept the process on hold due to the legal confusion. That will now be resolved," Banerjee had said, adding, "Backwardness, not religion, was the sole criterion in the fresh OBC survey." On Tuesday, Bengal leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari had alleged that the OBC list was flawed and stemmed from "appeasement politics". He said that there were only 11 Muslim groups out of 66 OBC groups before 2010. Adhikari went on to claim that OBC in Bengal meant 'one-sided beneficiary'. Questioning Adhikari's facts, Trinamool Congress had said in a statement on Tuesday: "Suvendu Adhikari, we all know that 'divide and rule' is the official policy of BJP, and your only agenda for the 2026 elections is to pit Hindus against Muslims. But CM Mamata Banerjee has made it crystal clear that backwardness, not religion, is the sole criterion for OBC status. The new list was prepared with that principle in mind. So stop misleading the people with your lies."


Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
West Bengal makes minor tweaks to OBC list struck down by HC
KOLKATA: Bengal's new OBC list, tabled by state govt in the assembly on Tuesday, has minor changes compared to the previous list. While the earlier list, struck down by the Calcutta High Court, had 113 OBC subgroups with 77 Muslim and 36 others, the new OBC list has 140 subgroups, 80 of them Muslim. Supreme Court is hearing a challenge by Bengal govt against the HC scrapping of the earlier list, impacting around 5 lakh OBC certificates. The state had told the SC that it would complete its fresh OBC survey by the end of June. The survey tabled on Tuesday also indicated that state is hearing representations from 50 more OBC groups. The percentage of Muslims in the new OBC list is 57.1. While there are 73.4% Muslims in the OBC 'A' category (in a total of 49 subgroups, 36 are Muslims and 13 non-Muslims), OBC 'B' has 48.3% Muslims (there are 91 subgroups, of which 44 are Muslims, and 47 are non-Muslims). The HC ruling had reduced 17% OBC reservations in the state to 7%. The report tabled on Tuesday allows Bengal govt to restore OBC reservation to 17%, allocating 7% for OBC 'A' and 10% for OBC 'B'. This is set to increase slightly with 50 additional groups being evaluated. The legal deadlock on the OBC issue had an overriding impact in Bengal, from pausing admissions to schools, colleges and universities to state govt recruitments. CM Mamata Banerjee, speaking in the assembly on Tuesday, had said that the issuance of OBC certificates for college admissions and govt jobs would resume immediately. "Many recruitment boards kept the process on hold due to the legal confusion. That will now be resolved," Banerjee had said, adding, "Backwardness, not religion, was the sole criterion in the fresh OBC survey." On Tuesday, Bengal leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari had alleged that the OBC list was flawed and stemmed from "appeasement politics". He said that there were only 11 Muslim groups out of 66 OBC groups before 2010. Adhikari went on to claim that OBC in Bengal meant 'one-sided beneficiary'. Questioning Adhikari's facts, Trinamool Congress had said in a statement on Tuesday: "Suvendu Adhikari, we all know that 'divide and rule' is the official policy of BJP, and your only agenda for the 2026 elections is to pit Hindus against Muslims. But CM Mamata Banerjee has made it crystal clear that backwardness, not religion, is the sole criterion for OBC status. The new list was prepared with that principle in mind. So stop misleading the people with your lies."


Indian Express
5 hours ago
- Indian Express
Clash between two groups in Kolkata outskirts leaves 5 cops injured
At least five policemen, including a woman cop, were injured and several vehicles set on fire as two groups clashed and indulged in stone-pelting on the outskirts of Kolkata on Wednesday afternoon. Police have arrested four persons and said they are carrying out raids to arrest more people responsible for the violence. According to police, the clash between the two groups began over a dispute involving a temporary shop in Rabindranagar area of Maheshtala in South 24 Parganas district, bordering Kolkata. Soon it spread to Nadiyal, which falls under Kolkata Police jurisdiction. 'Five police personnel have been injured, including one SDPO-ranked official, one Inspector, three sub-Inspectors, and one ASI. Four persons have been arrested,' DIG (Presidency Range) Akash Magharia told The Indian Express. A senior police officer said on Wednesday noon a youth from Nadiyal found that the place in Rabindranagar area, where he had not set up his shop for the past few days, had a Tulsi plant. 'His attempt to reclaim the area led to an initial scuffle between two groups. Soon, a large group of people was called in from Nadiyal, leading to a clash between two groups. Initially, police tried to calm down the situation, but it escalated with stone pelting in the area. Some shops were also vandalised,' the officer told The Indian Express. Around 3:30, the situation further flared up in Nadiyal, which falls under the Kolkata Police jurisdiction and is 500 metres from Rabindranagar police station under Diamond Harbour Police District in South 24 Parganas. 'A mob burnt motorbikes, police vehicles. Policemen got injured too. Though there were no serious injuries to anyone,' a senior police officer said. Police said they lobbed tear gas shells and resorted to lathicharge to disperse the mob involved in stone pelting. 'The situation is normal in Rabindranagar area now. Four persons have been arrested, and raids are continuing. There will be many arrests subsequently,' ADG (Law and Order) Jawed Shamim said. Amid a large deployment of police personnel and Rapid Action Foce team, prohibitory orders have been put in place in the area. Meanwhile, the Opposition BJP demanded deployment of Central forces and accused the TMC government of 'Muslim appeasement'. Union Minister and West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar reacted strongly to the incident, blaming the state government for 'Muslim appeasement'. 'Despite knowing the culprits, the police acted against the victims instead of the aggressors,' Majumdar alleged, accusing the TMC government of 'ignoring repeated attacks on Bengali Hindus in Muslim-majority areas' of the state. Leader of Opposition in Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, who sat on a dharna outside Bhawani Bhavan, the state police headquarters, said: 'This is complete failure of the administration and police. Central paramilitary forces should be deployed at Maheshtala immediately… The Hindu community in Rabindranagar has been subjected to looting, arson, and violence for hours while the police watched silently. Several police vehicles were set on fire, yet there was no effective intervention.' He also claimed that DGP Rajiv Kumar refused to meet him. 'Despite such grave attacks on police, the top brass seems indifferent. I will move Calcutta High Court tomorrow seeking urgent intervention and central forces, as ordered earlier during communal tension in Murshidabad,' the BJP leader said. Both leaders also urged Governor CV Ananda Bose to intervene, alleging the incident reflected systemic administrative failure. 'The Governor must step in to ensure that constitutional order is upheld and justice is delivered to the affected Hindu community,' Majumdar said. The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), however, rejected the allegations, saying the Opposition was attempting to politicise a 'local issue'. 'All necessary steps have been taken to control the situation. The police acted swiftly and with firmness. The BJP is trying to give a communal colour to what was essentially a dispute over setting up a shop,' said TMC spokesperson and state general secretary Kunal Ghosh. Condemning the violence, Kolkata Mayor and senior TMC minister leader Firhad Hakim said, 'We wish a speedy recovery to the injured police personnel. At the same time, we strongly condemn the BJP's attempt to communalise and politicise a sensitive issue.' He alleged that the BJP's tactics were aimed at 'disturbing the peace and harmony of Bengal' and urged all sides to act with restraint. Sweety Kumari reports from West Bengal for The Indian Express. She is a journalist with over a decade of experience in the media industry. Covers Crime, Defence, Health , Politics etc and writes on trending topics. With a keen eye for investigative and human-interest stories. She has honed her craft across diverse beats including aviation, health, incidents etc. Sweety delivers impactful journalism that informs and engages audiences. Sweety Kumari is a graduate of Calcutta University with an Honors degree in Journalism from Jaipuria College and a PG in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University. Originally from Bihar, she is brought up in Kolkata and completed her education from Kendriya Vidyalaya SaltLake. Multilingual, Sweety is fluent in English, Hindi, Bengali, and Maithili. She started her career as an Entertainment and lifestyle journalist with a newsportal in Kolkata. She is working with The Indian Express for 8 years now. ... Read More Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More