Burkina Faso: Security Operation in Solenzo and Civilian Deaths

In March 2025, Burkina Faso’s military and allied pro-government militias were accused of killing over 130 ethnic Fulani civilians during a major security operation near the town of Solenzo in the western Boucle du Mouhoun region. The campaign, part of a broader offensive against Islamist armed groups, involved Burkinabè special forces and the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) militia. Human Rights Watch and other rights groups report that the victims were predominantly unarmed Fulani herders, with many women, children and elderly among the dead, and that the killings occurred as displaced Fulani tried to flee violence. Witnesses described soldiers and VDP units firing on civilians and blocking escape routes, leading to mass executions and widespread displacement into neighboring Mali. Rights groups have characterized the events as serious human rights abuses and potential war crimes, demanding independent investigations and accountability for those responsible. The Burkinabè government has denied the army intentionally targeted civilians, instead calling some reports misleading and blaming jihadist groups. The Solenzo deaths underline the broader security and ethnic tensions in Burkina Faso, where the military junta’s counter-insurgency operations against jihadist groups have increasingly drawn accusations of abuses and ethnic targeting, intensifying the humanitarian crisis across the Sahel-state.