Leadnaija
Disturbing reports from Burkina Faso’s Sahel region indicate that Burkinabé soldiers and members of the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) allegedly carried out a mass killing of civilians, including women and children, in the town of Gaskindé, about 10 kilometers south of Djibo....Don’t Miss Out! CLICK HERE TO KEEP READING..>>
According to sources and testimonies from local residents, the massacre took place on February 20 in what is believed to be a retaliatory operation following a recent military setback suffered by government forces against armed insurgents.
The Sahel region of Burkina Faso has been a battleground for years, with jihadist groups maintaining a strong presence and besieging key towns like Djibo. Security sources suggest that the latest attack came after government forces and their allied militias suffered a significant loss in clashes with insurgents.
In the aftermath of the battle, soldiers and VDP personnel allegedly turned their anger toward civilians, accusing them often without evidence of supporting or sheltering the militants. Witnesses claim that security personnel carried out house-to-house searches, targeting entire families in a wave of repression marked by extreme brutality.
Eyewitness Accounts and Social Media Footage
Local residents who survived the attack described horrific scenes of indiscriminate killings. Many of the victims were women and children, while others were reportedly taken from their homes before being executed.
Graphic images circulating on social media purportedly show bodies strewn across the streets, with signs of execution-style killings. The authenticity of these images has not yet been independently verified, but the sheer volume of reports from multiple sources has sparked concerns.
This is not the first time that Burkina Faso’s security forces have been accused of human rights violations. Reports from organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have previously documented similar incidents in villages near Djibo.
Over the past two years, security forces and VDP militias have been accused of extrajudicial killings in response to the growing insurgency. Such actions risk alienating local populations, potentially driving them into the hands of extremist groups.
The humanitarian situation in the Sahel region continues to deteriorate, with civilians caught between jihadist attacks and military reprisals.
