SUMMARY

The one-sided violence carried out by the Government of Burkina Faso took place in the context of the state-based conflicts fought against islamist groups JNIM and IS. As these groups escalated their attacks, questions were raised regarding the army’s response and how it affected the civilian population.

The islamist groups have primarily recruited their members from the nomadic Peuhl (Fulani) community, while most attacks by the islamist have been on the agrarian communities. Conversely, most instances of violence against civilians perpetrated by the Burkinabe government’s have targeted Peuhl communities, on the basis of their suspected affiliation with islamists groups. Frequently, the suspects were taken away from their villages, after which they were extrajudicially executed. Most such incidents occurred place in regions close to the border with Mali, but they have also been instances in the eastern part of the country. On one occasion, Burkinabe security forces also killed civilians on the Malian side of the border.

The Government of Burkina Faso first became active as a one-sided actor in UCDP data in 2018, when the one-sided violence resulted in more than 25 civilian deaths. The threshold was reached in mid-October of that year when attacks by government troops in Soum province of Burkina Faso resulted in more than 25 deaths.