Latest news with #Allegrozzi
Euronews
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Burkina Faso forces killed more than 130 civilians, HRW says
Burkina Faso's army directed and participated in a massacre by pro-government militias of at least 130 civilians in March around the western town of Solenzo, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said. The findings, published in a new report on Monday, were based on witness testimony and an analysis of footage shared online. The attack was directed against the Fulani ethnic group, who have been displaced en masse in recent months from Banwa province. After the March massacre, the Al Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) retaliated with a series of attacks in Sourou, a province to the north. The Islamist armed group targeted villages believed to have helped the army, killing at least 100 civilians, according to HRW. '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 HRW. '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.' Allegrozzi called on the government to 'impartially investigate these deaths and prosecute all those responsible'. HRW interviewed dozens of witnesses to the attacks, and viewed videos showing abuses by pro-government volunteers (VDPs) against Fulani civilians near Solenzo, as well as analysing information posted on social media. 'Thousands of Fulani families from over 20 villages set out for [neighbouring] Mali in search of protection,' said a Fulani herder, 44, from Solenzo, whose eight family members were killed in the attacks. 'However, we couldn't reach Mali without crossing villages [that were] occupied by the VDPs and the army. The VDPs shot at us like animals, while drones were flying over our heads. Many women and children died because they could not run.' Witnesses described the direct participation of the country's army alongside VDPs in the operation, including the use of military helicopters. They also mentioned the targeting of Fulani civilians. A 50-year-old woman from Solenzo told HRW: 'I heard the VDPs saying in the Djoula language: 'Nobody will escape! Look for the Fulani everywhere. We are going to kill all Fulani.'' Such testimony was said to corroborate statements by VDP members recorded in videos reviewed by the organisation. In a statement published on 15 March, a government spokesperson said that on 10 March, militia and security forces fought off a 'terrorist' attack and killed about 100 assailants before chasing others through the bush. The spokesperson said the security forces and VDPs 'took over the forest to dismantle the terrorist base.' They found women, children, and older people 'whom the terrorists tried to use as human shields, as well as a large herd of stolen cattle and goats,' and took them to safety. However, witnesses contradicted the government's account, saying no fighting took place between government forces and the Islamist fighters near Solenzo, and that the military operation appeared to have been carefully planned. Islamist armed groups have focused on recruiting from the Fulani community, and the government has long conflated the two. Fulani witnesses said the recent military operation had displaced most Fulani people from Banwa province. Hundreds were said to have fled across the border into neighbouring Mali. 'Today, in the whole province, there are no more Fulani – they all fled or were killed or taken hostage,' a 53-year-old man from Solenzo told HRW. Following the attacks near Solenzo, the military proceeded toward Sourou, which has been under the control of the JNIM for seven years. Villagers said the army remained in the village for about two days. The JNIM subsequently returned and targeted men it believed had collaborated with the army and its backers. 'All the men had been executed in front of the health centre,' said a 60-year-old woman. 'I counted up to 70 bodies.' Allegrozzi said that the 'scope of the atrocities" by government forces, militias and Islamist armed groups in western Burkina Faso "remain grossly overlooked". She called on the United Nations Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council to urgently place Burkina Faso "high on their agendas and act to protect civilians still at grave risk". The Sahel region of Africa now accounts for "over half of all terrorism-related deaths", according to a report by the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) published in March. Burkina Faso's military junta seized power in 2022, after the country's government struggled to control Islamist insurgencies. Burkina Faso authorities did not immediately reply a request for comment.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rights group urges probe into Burkina Faso civilian massacre
Human Rights Watch (HRW) late Friday called on Burkina Faso's military rulers to investigate and prosecute those implicated in an apparent massacre of dozens of civilians this week. Videos surfaced allegedly showing soldiers and militias killing members of a nomadic group, accused of collaborating with an Islamist uprising in the Sahel region, which spans northern central Africa. HRW cited videos of the incident posted to social media, which it said showed the massacre of dozens of civilians in and around the western city of Solenzo on March 10 and 11. The human rights watchdog said armed men wearing identifiable uniforms of local militias allied with the junta can be seen in the videos standing around by or walking among the bodies. The various footage shows 58 people including women, children and the elderly "who appear to be dead or dying," HRW said. The rights group added that the real number could be higher as the videos showed bodies piled on top of each other, with the victims' hands and feet bound. HRW said the victims appear to be ethnic Fulani, a group of primarily nomadic herders often stigmatized across the wider Sahel, accused of working with the jihadists who stalk the region. The rights group said the Islamist groups have exploited the Fulani's frustrations over corruption and seizure of natural resources to recruit them to their cause. HRW's senior Sahel researcher Ilaria Allegrozzi accused security forces and militias of "committing serious crimes against an exhausted population without fear of consequence." Allegrozzi called on authorities to "impartially investigate and appropriately prosecute all those responsible for serious crimes." AFP news agency cited a source on the ground as saying that the perpetrators were troops from battalions set up to counter the Islamist insurgency as well as members of pro-junta militias. The source said the massacre appeared to be in response to an Islamist attack in the area at the beginning of March. The so-called rapid intervention battalions were created by junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traore to aid in the fight against Islamist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS). Together with the volunteer militias, who are armed by the government, these battalions have regularly been accused of abuses against civilians. Prime Minister Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo denounced the videos, describing them as "manipulative actions aimed at calling into question the actions of the fighting forces." "Major counter-terrorism operations are currently underway," Ouedraogo added. "The army's steamroller is crushing the enemy in these areas," The PM also announced the creation of new battalions and militias, as part of what he said was a drive to recruit 14,000 soldiers and thousands of civilian support staff to fight jihadist violence. Burkina Faso and its Sahel neighbors Mali and Niger are fighting a jihadist insurgency that has spread across the region since it first took root in Mali 13 years ago. Since 2015, the unrest has killed more than 26,000 people in Burkina Faso alone, according to conflict monitor ACLED. That tally included more than 13,500 victims who have died following the September 2022 coup which brought the military to power. Along with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have experienced coups in recent years by military rulers who have pledged to turn the tables on the Islamist groups. Edited by: Kieran Burke
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Human Rights Watch links pro-junta volunteer militias to Burkina massacre
(Reuters) - Militias allied with Burkina Faso's military junta have been linked to a "gruesome" massacre in western Burkina Faso that left dozens dead this week, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said late on Friday. Videos of the incident posted on social media show armed men wearing the uniforms of militias that have formed to aid the government's fight against Islamist groups, New York-based HRW said in a statement. The videos show 58 people including women and children "who appear to be dead or dying," it said, adding that the real number could be higher as bodies were piled on top of each other. Burkina Faso's government, which seized power in a 2022 coup, could not immediately be reached for comment. HRW said the victims appear to be ethnic Fulani, a group authorities accuse of supporting groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State. "The gruesome videos of an apparent massacre by pro-government militias in Burkina Faso underscore the pervasive lack of accountability of these forces," Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at HRW, said in the statement. The incident took place in and around the city of Solenzo on March 10 and 11, the rights group said. The men in the videos are wearing identifiable uniforms of the Homeland Defence Volunteers (VDP), HRW said. "As the armed conflict in Burkina Faso enters its ninth year, security forces and their allied militias and Islamist armed groups are committing serious crimes against an exhausted population without fear of consequence," Allegrozzi said. The Sahel country and its neighbours Mali and Niger are fighting a jihadist insurgency that has spread across the region since it first took root in Mali 13 years ago.
