Human Rights Watch has accused the Burkina Faso military, its allied militias, and the Al Qaeda-linked armed group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) of committing grave atrocities that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. In a major report released on 2 April 2026, the organization said these forces have killed more than 1,800 civilians and displaced tens of thousands of people since 2023. The report argues that senior leaders on all sides could bear responsibility for widespread abuses, including murder, attacks on civilians, looting, and forced displacement.
The 316-page report, titled “None Can Run Away”: War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity in Burkina Faso by All Sides, documents 57 incidents involving Burkinabè military forces, allied militias known as the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDPs), and JNIM since the current military junta seized power in September 2022. Human Rights Watch said the conflict has received far too little international attention despite its devastating impact on civilians. The organization based its findings on interviews with more than 450 people across Burkina Faso and neighboring countries, along with satellite imagery, audiovisual evidence, and official documents used to verify attacks and identify commanders.
According to the report, the military junta under President Ibrahim Traoré has not only failed to stop abuses but is itself responsible for serious violations. Human Rights Watch said the authorities have carried out a broad crackdown on political opposition, peaceful dissent, and independent media, creating a climate of fear and limiting public reporting on the conflict and civilian suffering. The report also alleges that the government has failed to hold perpetrators on any side accountable, contributing to near-total impunity for crimes committed during the conflict.
A particularly serious finding is the accusation that government forces and allied militias have targeted Fulani civilians on the basis of alleged links to Islamist armed groups, resulting in what Human Rights Watch describes as ethnic cleansing. One of the deadliest incidents documented took place in December 2023, when Burkinabè military forces and allied militias reportedly killed more than 400 civilians in around 16 villages near Djibo during an operation known as “Operation Tchéfari 2.” Survivors described indiscriminate and deliberate killings, including the deaths of women and children. In another incident in November 2023, government-allied militias allegedly killed 13 Fulani civilians in the village of Bassé, including women and children, with witness accounts pointing to execution-style killings.
The report also details major atrocities committed by JNIM, which has used threats, mass killings, sieges, and destruction of infrastructure to expand its control in rural Burkina Faso. In one of the deadliest attacks attributed to the group, JNIM killed at least 133 civilians, including many children, in Barsalogho in August 2024 after accusing the community of supporting pro-government militias. Human Rights Watch said JNIM has also besieged dozens of towns and villages, blocked the movement of goods and people, planted improvised explosive devices on roads, and destroyed bridges, water sources, and communications infrastructure, worsening hunger, illness, and isolation for civilians.
Human Rights Watch concluded that all parties to the conflict are responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law, including willful killings, attacks on civilians and civilian objects, pillage, and forced displacement. It said these acts also amount to crimes against humanity because they form part of broader attacks against civilian populations. The organization stated that President Ibrahim Traoré and six senior military commanders may be liable under command responsibility for abuses committed by government forces and militias, while JNIM leader Iyad Ag Ghaly and four other commanders may likewise bear responsibility for crimes committed by the armed group in Burkina Faso.
The report emphasizes that victims and their families have little faith in national justice institutions, either because they cannot access them or because they do not trust them to act independently. Officials have reportedly denied or minimized allegations, especially those involving the military and allied militias, and have failed to carry out credible investigations. Human Rights Watch said this has entrenched a system of impunity in which all warring parties continue to operate without meaningful consequences.
In response, the organization has urged stronger international action from Burkina Faso’s partners, including the United Nations, African Union, European Union and its member states, and the United States. It called for targeted sanctions against abusive commanders identified in the report and urged the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to open a preliminary examination into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by all sides since September 2022. Human Rights Watch said the international community must recognize the scale of the atrocities unfolding in Burkina Faso and press the authorities to address grave abuses and ensure genuine accountability.
