An Islamist armed group massacred at least 133 people in the town of Barsalogho, Burkina Faso, on August 24, 2024, largely civilians forced to build a trench to protect the town with a military base.
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| “Burkina Faso should stop putting civilians at needless risk” – Human Rights Watch (HRW) |
The massacre is the latest example of atrocities by Islamist armed groups against civilians whom the government has put at unnecessary risk.
Burkina Faso should stop putting civilians at needless risk, including by using them as forced labor in war zones.
A 39-year-old man who lost five family members in the attack said: “They came on motorbikes, two on each motorbike. As soon as they approached the trench, they started shooting. They shot continuously, as if they had plenty of ammunition. People were falling like flies. I managed to climb up the trench, I don’t know how I did it, because they were shooting at anyone.… They came to exterminate us. They did not spare anyone.” hrw.org
