Islamist groups escalate retaliatory attacks on Burkina Faso civilians

18/9/2024 12:13

        Jihadist groups in Burkina Faso have escalated attacks on civilians, often in retaliation against communities for refusing to join their ranks or allegedly collaborating with government troops, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday.
        
        The junta-led West African nation has been grappling with Islamist insurgents, some with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State, since they spread into its territory from neighbouring Mali almost a decade ago.
        
        Military leader Ibrahim Traore has pushed for civilians to play a role in fighting the insurgency, recruiting thousands of volunteer army auxiliaries known as VDPs and, more recently, requiring civilians to dig defensive trenches.
        
        The jihadists have been retaliating with increasingly deadly attacks on civilians, Human Rights Watch (HRW) found.
        
        The watchdog documented seven jihadist attacks between February and June that led to at least 128 civilian deaths. Insurgents targeted villages, a displaced people's camp and worshippers in a Catholic church.