Overview
- Human Rights Watch, which released its 316-page report Thursday, documents 57 incidents from January 2023 to August 2025 with at least 1,837 civilians killed, including about 1,255 by government troops and allied militias.
- Conflict tracker ACLED reports a matching trend, counting in 2025 about 523 civilian deaths by Burkina Faso’s army and Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland militias versus 339 by jihadist groups, and in Mali 918 by the military and Russian partners versus 232 by JNIM and Islamic State affiliates.
- HRW alleges the targeted killing and expulsion of Fulani civilians amounts to ethnic cleansing and says these abuses constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, with senior leaders including President Ibrahim Traoré and top commanders potentially liable.
- In Mali, ACLED links a rise in civilian harm to expanded drone use after 2022 purchases, with strikes on civilians increasing from four incidents in 2022 to 66 in 2025 and causing 155 deaths.
- Officials in Burkina Faso and Mali did not respond to new requests for comment, and analysts warn that state-led killings can boost jihadist recruitment and strain foreign ties, while more than 2 million people are displaced and censorship and poor access likely mean undercounts.