Soldiers in Burkina Faso killed 223 people, including children, in two villages, Human Rights Watch has said. The rights group said it was among the worst crimes committed by the military in nearly a decade.
At least 223 civilians, among them 56 children, were executed by the Burkina Faso soldiers in two villages on February 25, 2024, international rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report on Thursday.
The HRW report documented accounts from 23 people, including 14 who witnessed the killings and verified the videos and photos of the aftermath of the atrocity provided by survivors.
The massacres were reported to be the worst military abuses in the West African nation in nearly a decade, and seem to be part of an extensive campaign against civilians accused of cooperating with Islamist militants, HRW said.
