Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Thursday that recent attacks by Islamist armed groups in Burkina Faso have led to civilian deaths and widespread infrastructure destruction, qualifying as war crimes. The rights group has called on local authorities to thoroughly investigate these crimes and urged the international community to offer necessary support to Burkina Faso. HRW identified armed groups with ties to Al Qaeda as the perpetrators of these attacks, which occurred in northeastern Burkina Faso in January. These groups committed severe human rights abuses, including the abduction of women, arbitrary executions, burning of local markets, and the destruction of telecommunication infrastructure.
The attacks appeared to target communities perceived as having ties to the country’s military or to the paramilitary Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP). In addition, Islamist armed groups launched large-scale assaults against government forces and allied militias, leading to significant casualties among soldiers and forest guards. HRW emphasized that these violations of international humanitarian law, carried out with criminal intent, qualify as war crimes. International law, particularly the Geneva Convention of 1949, prohibits such attacks against civilians and vital infrastructure during armed conflicts.
The conflict in Burkina Faso has been ongoing since 2016, part of the broader Sahel insurgency involving jihadist groups linked to Al Qaeda. This violence has plunged the country into a severe humanitarian crisis, displacing over two million people. HRW has expressed growing concern over the escalating violence and the high number of deaths caused by Islamist groups in the region. In 2016, HRW urged the Burkinabe authorities to investigate the exploitation of civilians by the armed group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen.
In addition to the armed conflict, Burkina Faso faces political instability. The country is currently governed by a military junta that seized power after ousting the previous regime led by Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba. To counter the insurgency, the government has mobilized civilian militias like the VDP to support security forces, although these groups have also been criticized for committing human rights violations.
