Burkina Faso Accused of Mass Killing of Civilians Near Solenzo

In March 2025, more than 100 civilians were killed in western Burkina Faso, allegedly at the hands of government forces and pro-regime militias, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW). The massacre occurred near the town of Solenzo in the Boucle du Mouhoun region and lasted several weeks, from late February to early April.

Eyewitness accounts and videos circulating on social media suggest that the attacks were carried out by special forces and members of the Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland (VDP), a government-aligned civilian militia. The victims were predominantly ethnic Fulani, a pastoralist group often stigmatized and accused by state forces of collaborating with Islamist insurgents.

Despite early denials by the government, which labeled the reports as “fake information aimed at undermining social cohesion,” HRW has doubled down on its findings. “The viral videos of the atrocities told only part of the story,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, a senior Sahel researcher at HRW. “Our further research confirms the military’s direct involvement in these killings.”

The government has not yet responded to the latest allegations.

Burkina Faso, a nation of 23 million, has become one of the epicenters of jihadist violence in Africa. Extremist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIS have controlled large portions of the country since 2015. The military junta, which took power in a 2022 coup, pledged to restore order and defeat terrorism. Instead, violence has escalated, with over 60% of the country now under non-state control, more than 2.1 million people displaced, and 6.5 million in need of humanitarian aid.

The massacre in Solenzo sparked mass displacement of Fulani communities. “They shot at us like animals,” said a 44-year-old herder from Solenzo. “Many women and children died because they couldn’t run.” Survivors say entire villages were emptied. “There are no more Fulani left in the province,” another witness said. “They were either killed, fled, or taken hostage.”

After government forces withdrew, jihadist militants from the group JNIM entered the area and launched reprisal killings against those suspected of collaborating with the state. In Tiao village, a 60-year-old woman described witnessing mass executions of men outside a health center. “I counted up to 70 bodies,” she said.

Analysts say the junta’s reliance on hastily recruited and poorly trained militias has deepened ethnic divisions and worsened the humanitarian crisis. The regime’s censorship and intimidation tactics have made it nearly impossible to verify reports or hold perpetrators accountable. Rights groups claim critics risk arrest, abduction, or forced conscription.

As calls grow for impartial investigations, the massacre in Solenzo underscores the deepening chaos in Burkina Faso — a country caught between insurgency, repression, and a government increasingly under pressure to deliver on promises of security.