Escalating Violence in Burkina Faso Linked to ISIL and Al-Qaeda
Armed groups affiliated with ISIL and al-Qaeda have intensified their attacks on civilians in Burkina Faso, Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday citing a recent report by Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The NGO documented the killing of at least 128 civilians in seven separate incidents since February 2024, highlighting violations of international humanitarian law that may constitute war crimes.
HRW’s report details horrific acts, including the massacre of villagers, displaced individuals, and Christian worshippers. Ilaria Allegrozzi, a senior Sahel researcher at HRW, expressed grave concern over the surge in Islamist violence and urged the leaders of these militant groups to halt their attacks.
The military government led by Ibrahim Traore has been combating the armed rebellion from the ISIL affiliate in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) and the al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), which have operated in Burkina Faso since 2016. Traore’s administration has mobilized thousands of volunteer auxiliaries and compelled civilians to dig defensive trenches.
The report also cites a brutal ISGS assault on a church in Essakane in February, resulting in at least 12 deaths, and a JNIM attack in August near Barsalogho that reportedly killed up to 400 people. Since 2016, over 26,000 individuals, including soldiers and civilians, have lost their lives in the ongoing conflict.
