Insurgent groups in Burkina Faso have escalated attacks on civilians, often in retaliation against communities for refusing to join their ranks or allegedly collaborating with government troops, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said today.
The junta-led West African nation has been grappling with insurgents, some with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State, since they spread into its territory from neighbouring Mali almost a decade ago.
Military leader Ibrahim Traore has pushed for civilians to play a role in fighting the insurgency, recruiting thousands of volunteer army auxiliaries known as Voluntary Disclosure Programme's (VDP) and, more recently, requiring civilians to dig defensive trenches.
The insurgents have been retaliating with increasingly deadly attacks on civilians, HRW found.
The watchdog documented seven insurgent attacks between February and June that led to at least 128 civilian deaths.
