The Burkina Faso army and pro-government militias are accused of massacring over 130 ethnic Fulani civilians in western Burkina Faso’s Boucle du Mouhoun region in March 2025.
According to a report by Human Rights Watch, the military operation, code-named “Green Whirlwind 2,” resulted in widespread civilian deaths and massive displacement of Fulani people.
The report alleges that the army and militias targeted Fulani civilians, killing women, children, and older people, and that the operation was well-planned.
Witnesses described the military operation as a “hunt for Fulani,” with soldiers and militias shooting at civilians, looting cattle, and forcing villagers to flee.
The killings occurred between March 8 andE 12, with most of the victims trapped in the bush between the villages of Béna and Lékoro.
In response to the alleged massacre, the Islamist armed group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen (JNIM) carried out reprisal attacks, killing at least 100 civilians in Sourou province.
The Human Rights Watch report calls for the government to impartially investigate these deaths and prosecute those responsible.
The African Union Special Envoy on the Prevention of Genocide and Other Mass Atrocities, Adama Dieng, has also condemned the killings, stating that targeting individuals based on their ethnicity is a reprehensible act that must be punished.
