Government and allied forces in Burkina Faso have killed more ⁠than twice as many civilians as Islamist militants have since 2023, according to a tally of incidents documented in a report published on Thursday by Human Rights Watch. The pattern is broadly consistent with data shared by Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), a conflict monitoring group, and also applies to neighboring Mali.

In that country, which like Burkina Faso is ruled by a military-led government that seized power in a coup, government forces and their partners have been responsible for three to four times as many civilian killings as jihadists over the last two years, according to ​ACLED's data. Violence involving jihadist groups in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger has surged since 2021, making the Sahel region a global terrorism hotspot.

Widespread deaths of civilians at the ‌hands of ‌government forces could bolster the political legitimacy of militant groups and fuel recruitment, analysts said. They could also complicate steps by the United States ​to improve relations with Sahel governments, which expelled French and other Western forces after their respective coups.

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