By Ebuka Onyekwelu, Ph.D
The Government of Burkina Faso has refuted the report that over 1,800 people have been killed since the military took over governance in the country. According to a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), published a few days ago, over 1,800 civilians have been killed in Burkina Faso since 2022, when the military led by Captain Ibrahim Traore took over the leadership of the country. The HRW referred to this as a “crime against humanity” committed by the military under the cover of the dictatorship in Burkina Faso.
Reacting, the military government, headed by 38-year-old Captain Traore, refuted the report, calling it “conjectures and serious unfounded claims,” and therefore summarily “false,” the government said. But according to the HRW, over 1,200 civilians have been killed between January 2023 and August 2025 by the military. The right group raised a direct indictment, with supporting details, against the military in Burkina Faso. However, the government of Burkina Faso has dismissed the report claiming that the country’s military is known for “professionalism.”
This is not the first time the military has been accused of abuses and killings in Burkina Faso, which the government also denied.
The report by HRW entitled “None Can Run Away: War Crimes and Crime against Humanity in Burkina Faso by All Sides,” also blamed a sizeable number of civilian deaths on militia groups, including Al-Qaeda affiliate, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, among other terrorist groups.
