No fewer than 223 civilians, including 56 children, were killed by Burkina Faso’s military forces in two villages in February, Human Rights Watch has said.
Aljazeeera reported that the mass killings took place on February 25 in the northern villages of Nondin and Soro.
The international rights group said the massacre appeared to be part of a widespread military campaign against civilians accused of collaborating.
Soldiers killed at least 44 people, including 20 children, in Nondin, and 179 people, including 36 children, in nearby Soro.
HRW said it interviewed dozens of witnesses between February and March and analysed videos and photographs shared by survivors.
It also reportedly obtained lists of the victims’ names compiled by survivors, and geolocated eight mass graves based on satellite imagery from March 15.
On February 24 and 25, armed groups carried out attacks across the country on military targets, including barracks and bases, and on civilian infrastructure, such as religious sites, killing scores of civilians, soldiers and militia members.
While Defence Minister Mahamoudou Sana denounced what he described as “simultaneous and coordinated” attacks, he did not mention the mass killings of civilians in Nondin and Soro.
Civilians have been caught in the middle of and displaced by the fighting between armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL and security forces.
About half of the country is outside government control. The violence has killed almost 20,000 people and displaced more than two million
