As the 45th session of the Human Rights Council approaches its conclusion, the Organisation mondiale contre la torture (OMCT) and its partners within the SOS-Torture Network are urging the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, along with all Council members, to give critical attention to the Fulani populations in Burkina Faso. These communities are caught in the escalating conflict stemming from counter-terrorism operations across the Sahel region.
Since 2016, the Fulani people in Burkina Faso have been subjected to grave human rights abuses, some of which bear the hallmarks of international crimes. The extensive scale of massacres in certain localities suggests a potential ethnic cleansing, given their widespread, systematic, and indiscriminate nature.
These violations frequently involve the extrajudicial executions of thousands of civilians, carried out either by state security forces assisted by state-supported self-defense groups, or by non-state armed organizations. Between January 2019 and May 2020, hundreds of non-combatants were brutally killed in areas including Yirgou, Kain Ouro, Banh, Barga, Djibo, and Tawalbougou. Furthermore, thousands of other civilians, including children, are enduring inhumane conditions in prisons such as those in Kaya and Loumbila. Their suffering is a result of arbitrary arrests and secret detentions, often without access to legal counsel or judicial review. Additionally, a pervasive climate of discrimination and stigmatization has taken root against these communities, exacerbating their struggles with food insecurity.
Despite numerous official reports and complaints filed with the courts, Burkinabé authorities have not yet identified or sanctioned those responsible for these violations. We implore the Human Rights Council to recommend that the government of Burkina Faso implement all necessary security and judicial measures to foster a protective environment for this vulnerable population group.
