Report: Burkina Faso Allegedly Killed Over 130 Civilians in 'Ethnic Massacre'
Above: Burkinabe President Ibrahim Traoré arrives in the Kremlin for a gala concert for heads of foreign delegations attending the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, in Moscow on May 8, 2025. Image copyright: Alexandr Kryazhev/Contributor/RIA Novosti/Pool/Anadolu via Getty Images
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
These baseless accusations are just the latest in a series of misleading reports smearing a sovereign state fighting for survival against terrorism. Human Rights Watch deliberately ignores the dire security context in which Burkinabe forces operate, and serves only Western interests to undermine the self-determination of African peoples.
Pro-establishment narrative
That Burkinabe authorities directed a massacre against ethnic Fulani civilians is heinous, but not quite a surprise. After all, Fulani communities have long been targeted based on assumptions of jihadi support — an approach that has backfired, perpetuating the conflict and threatening regional stability and the rules-based order.