Burkina Faso has denied a report claiming that more than 1,800 civilians have been killed in acts constituting “crimes against humanity” since Ibrahim Traoré seized power three years ago.
Human Rights Watch, which released the report, attributed most of the deaths to the military and allied militias, and the remainder to Islamist militants.
The report is based on analysis of open-source information, including videos and satellite images, as well as conversations with witnesses and survivors.
One of the deadliest incidents described in the report dates back to December 2023, when the military and allied militias allegedly killed more than 400 civilians in the city of Djibo.
Survivors described the deaths as brutal and claim to have suffered psychological trauma as a result.
The government denounced the organization’s conclusions as false and described them as “serious and unfounded conjectures and allegations.” This is not the first time the country has faced such accusations. Burkina Faso is one of several West African nations that have suffered coups d’état in recent years. Guinea and Gabon are among the others.
