Burkina Faso rejects HRW’s report on village massacre, calls it ‘baseless’

Burkina Faso has denied claims that its soldiers killed 223 people in February attacks as Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the army of killing 179 in Soro and 44 in Nondin, including 56 children.

The government calls these claims “baseless.”

“We strongly reject and condemn such baseless accusations,” Communications Minister, Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo said.

An investigation is ongoing, but the BBC and Voice of America were suspended for covering the HRW report.

HRW stated the killings may be part of a wider military campaign against civilians. Survivors said soldiers rounded up villagers before shooting them.

“These massacres are just the latest killings by the Burkina Faso military,” Tirana Hassan, from HRW said.

Burkina Faso’s military junta, in power since a 2022 coup, aims to end the insurgency but violence persists. The EU and UN accuse the country of human rights abuses.

The government criticizes media coverage, accusing it of undermining the military’s morale. BBC and Voice of America is halted for two weeks, and media outlets are warned against reporting on the issue.