A survivor has shared a harrowing account of the bloodshed that claimed hundreds of lives. The attack, which occurred outside the town of Barsalogho, has been described as one of the deadliest in nearly a decade of Islamist violence in the West African country. The massacre was attributed to Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, an Al Qaeda-linked group, which claimed to have targeted soldiers and militia members.
The survivor, a 38-year-old woman, recounted the traumatic experience of searching through piles of bodies to find her brothers. She had been forced to flee with her toddler and described the appalling scenes she witnessed. “We went out with carts to collect the bodies of my older brothers,” she said in an interview provided to Reuters by an aid worker. The woman, who requested to remain anonymous for her safety, described the grim task of identifying her family members from among the dead. “We spent a long time going through bodies piled up under trees,” she added.
The attack took place on a Saturday morning, when militants launched a surprise assault on civilians and soldiers digging defensive trenches around Barsalogho. The army had mobilized every able man in the town to dig these trenches as a protective measure, while women and children were tasked with clearing the surrounding vegetation to enhance visibility for the stationed soldiers.
The assault began around 10 a.m., with the militants opening fire on both soldiers and civilians. The violence continued unabated until drones arrived later in the day, providing a reprieve for the survivors. The woman reported that it took three days for the survivors, mostly women and children, to collect the bodies of the deceased.
Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, the Al Qaeda affiliate responsible for the attack, claimed to have killed nearly 300 individuals, describing them all as fighters rather than civilians. However, video evidence released by the militants showed over 100 bodies in civilian clothing, which was confirmed by Reuters through satellite imagery.
The massacre has drawn sharp criticism from civil society groups and international organizations. A local group, Collectif Justice pour Barsalogho, has accused the Burkinabe government of failing to adequately address the tragedy. The group criticized the government’s lack of transparency and responsiveness, stating that a government delegation that visited the area seemed more concerned with the military than with the plight of the civilian survivors. The statement lamented that government officials had not acknowledged the immense grief and suffering of the affected families.
The survivor’s account highlights the severe consequences of Burkina Faso’s reliance on civilians in the fight against jihadist groups. As the country struggles with escalating violence and instability, frustrations have led to political upheaval, including two coups in 2022. Despite the change in leadership, the violence has continued unabated, with over 6,500 civilians killed since the beginning of 2020, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.
The massacre in Barsalogho underscores the grave humanitarian crisis facing Burkina Faso and the broader Sahel region. The woman’s harrowing testimony provides a chilling reminder of the cost of ongoing conflict and the urgent need for effective international intervention and support to address the violence that has engulfed the region.
As the international community condemns the attack, the survivors in Barsalogho and surrounding areas continue to grapple with the aftermath, mourning their dead and coping with the trauma of their experiences. The silence and inaction of local authorities only add to their suffering, leaving many to wonder what steps will be taken to prevent such atrocities in the future.
