
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
an hour ago
- Time of India
LDF & UDF trade barbs over support
Kozhikode: Welfare Party's support for UDF and PDP's backing of LDF have triggered a sharp political clash between rival fronts in Nilambur as they compete for electoral gains. Welfare Party is the political wing of Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI), while People's Democratic Party (PDP) is led by Abdul Nazar Madani, an accused in the 1998 Bengaluru serial blasts case. JEI and PDP announced their support for UDF and LDF respectively on Monday. CPM state secretary MV Govindan termed JEI a communal organization with global ties and an agenda to create an Islamic theocratic state. He slammed UDF for accepting JEI's support but defended the LDF's acceptance of PDP's backing, claiming PDP had suffered mistreatment in Kerala. Govindan slammed UDF for aligning with JEI, calling it 'a coalition of communal elements'. "They've followed this pattern in several elections, including Palakkad bypoll. UDF has become an alliance of communal forces and will face the consequences," he added. When asked about LDF accepting PDP's support, Govindan said PDP does not aim to establish a theocratic state. CPM leader Elamaram Kareem also attacked UDF, saying JEI promotes an ideology that supports terrorism. "How can the Congress claim to be secular while joining hands with them?" he asked. Opposition leader VD Satheesan accused CPM of double standards, saying it had previously held talks with JEI and accepted its support in past elections. "How is it okay for LDF to get support from Jamaat-e-Islami but not UDF? Those who criticize Welfare Party's support for UDF stay silent when PDP backs LDF. People will see through CPM's double standards—they once called JEI's support 'hopeful and exciting'. So why is Congress being targeted for accepting it now?" he asked. Satheesan also reminded Govindan of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan's earlier comments about JEI, in which he described it as "one of the Muslim organizations with a clear political stand on national and international issues." Satheesan said that in all six elections he contested, JEI and Welfare Party had backed the LDF candidate. He added that after 2019, they shifted to support the Congress at the national level to fight communalism. "When they supported CPM, they were called secularists. Now that they support UDF, they're branded communalists? This is typical CPM hypocrisy," he said. BJP leader K Surendran accused UDF and LDF of seeking support from religious extremist and terror-linked groups just to win elections, warning that such alliances would harm society.


India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
"TMC party extends full support to terrorism and extremists": BJP's Suvendu Adhikari
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 10 (ANI): The Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Tuesday said the Trinamool Congress only extends full support to terrorism and is turning the state here into a 'valley of extremists'. Adhikari's response came in response to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's reported statement on the Pulwama attack. 'TMC party extends full support to terrorism and of Mamata Banerjee's party are turning Bengal into a valley of extremists and are protecting them,' Adhikari said. The West Bengal Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution conveying appreciation for the Indian armed forces for their recent action targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The resolution moved in the state Legislative Assembly on Tuesday also condemned the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's (J-K) Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 people, most of them tourists. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed deep grief over the incident and paid tribute to those who lost their lives.'We do not support terrorism in any way. In Pahalgam, tourists lost their lives. We condemn this incident. Three victims were from Bengal. During the incident, one Muslim man (Adil Hussain Shah) opposed them and sacrificed his life. We salute and pay tribute to him also,' Banerjee said. She further said that West Bengal is the only state to have moved such a resolution. Earlier, BJP MLA and West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is providing protection to Jamaat Hefazat, extremists and the anti-India forces. (ANI)


NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Syria Mandates Full Body Swimwear For Women On Public Beaches
Syria's new Islamist authorities said on Tuesday that women going to public beaches must wear burkinis or other "decent" clothes that cover the body, giving some private venues an exemption. In the largely conservative country, few women wear swimsuits that reveal their body. Six months after Islamist-led forces toppled longtime Syria ruler Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian tourism ministry announced in a statement that beachgoers must wear "more decent" clothes, citing the "public's interest" as a reason. Women must wear "burkinis or swimwear that covers more of the body" on public beaches, the statement said. Outside of swimming areas, women must wear loose-fitting clothing while men are not allowed to be topless. Private beach clubs and venues considered "luxurious" by authorities do not have to abide by the new rules, with the tourism ministry saying "Western swimsuits are allowed" there within the limits of "general morals". Other private establishments must follow the modesty rules. Generally while out in public, Syrians are asked to "wear loose clothing, cover the shoulders and knees and avoid transparent and tight clothing", according to the ministry's statement, which did not specify if and how the rules may be enforced. The announcement drew mixed reactions from social media users, adding to concerns among some Syrians over personal freedoms since the new authorities took power in December. "Syria is a moderate and open country, and it should accommodate everyone without restrictions," a woman called Shaza said on Facebook, adding that "the ministry should reconsider its decision". A man, Yahya Qabisho, expressed support for the new rules which he said reflected a "duty" to respect "the culture of Syrian society". In May, a nightclub in Damascus came under attack by armed men, killing one woman. Social media videos have showed young men chanting religious slogans and demanding the closure of bars in the capital that serve alcohol.