Burkina Faso army executed over 220 villagers in February, HRW says

FILE PHOTO: The shadow of a child who fled from attacks of armed militants in the Sahel region, is seen at a camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Kaya, Burkina Faso November 23, 2020. Picture taken November 23, 2020. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File Photo

DAKAR (Reuters) - Burkina Faso's military in February summarily executed about 223 villagers, including at least 56 children, as part of a campaign against civilians accused of collaborating with jihadist militants, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Thursday.

The watchdog made the assertions in a report based on its own investigation into the reported execution of around 170 people in attacks on three villages in Burkina Faso's northern Yatenga province in late February. A regional prosecutor based in the provincial capital Ouahigouya first flagged the killings in a statement on March 1.