Burkina Faso’s army massacred over 200 civilians in a village raid, Human Rights Watch says

By JESSICA DONATI
Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Human Rights Watch says military forces in Burkina Faso killed 223 civilians, including babies and many children, in attacks on two villages accused of cooperating with militants. Human Rights Watch said in a report published Thursday that the mass killings took place Feb. 25 in the country’s northern villages of Nondin and Soro. Some 56 children are among the dead. The once peaceful nation has been ravaged by violence that has pitted jihadis linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group against state-backed forces. Both sides have targeted civilians caught in the middle, displacing more than 2 million people. HRW Executive Director Tirana Hassan says “International assistance is critical to support a credible investigation into possible crimes against humanity.”