Dhaka, Senegal - Human Rights Watch said on Monday that at least 100 civilians were killed by Burkina Faso government forces near Solenzo in March.

According to victim testimony and videos shared on social media collected by the Rights Organization, the attackers were members of the Burkina Faso Special Forces and pro-government militia, volunteers in the Land Defense. The victims are all Fulani, a herderly community that is widely present throughout the region, and the government has long accused of supporting Muslim militants.

Earlier reports from Human Rights Watch said that government involvement is likely due to video evidence on social media, although the findings are not certain. The government issued a huge denial when its first report surfaced, saying in a statement that “condemns the spread on social media, images that induce hatred and community violence, and false information designed to undermine social cohesion”.

“Viral videos of pro-government militia atrocities near Sorenzo sent shock waves in the Sahel region of Africa, but they told only part of the story,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior researcher at Sahel, Human Rights Watch. "Further research has found that Burkina Faso's army is responsible for these mass killings of Fulani civilians, followed by fatal revenge by Islamic armed groups. The government needs to investigate these deaths impartially and prosecute all responsible."

Burkina Faso authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the group's new report.

In recent years, landlocked countries with 23 million people on land have symbolized the security crisis in the arid Sahel region in the sub-Saharan region. It was shaken by violence from extremist groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State Group and the extremist groups that the government fought against.

The junta that came to power in 2022 failed to provide the stability of its promise. According to conservative estimates, more than 60% of the country's people are now out of government control, more than 2.1 million people have lost their homes, and nearly 6.5 million need humanitarian assistance to survive.

Witnesses quoted in the report said that attacks in the western Fox region, including Sorenzo and other towns, began on February 27 and lasted until April 2, involving hundreds of government forces and drones.

"VDP shoots us like animals, and drones fly over our heads. Many women and children die because they can't run," said Fulani Herder, 44, of Sorenzo, referring to pro-government military militia.

The report said hundreds of Fulani residents fled the border to enter neighboring Mali after the attack.

"Today, throughout the province, there are no more Fulani - they all fled or were killed or taken hostage," said a 53-year-old man from Solenzo. "But another (racial) community still exists."

After the government forces left, it was reported that jihadists from a group called JNIM reentered the town and committed retaliation and killing against residents as people considered military collaborators.

A 60-year-old woman said: "All men were executed in front of the health center.

According to analysts, the military escalation strategy of the military government, including mass recruitment of civilians from well-trained militia units, has exacerbated tensions among races.

Rights groups say that due to the fact that military leadership has installed a de facto censorship, it is impossible to understand the situation in the country accurately.