Islamist armed groups in Burkina Faso have escalated their attacks on civilians, massacring villagers, displaced people, and Christian worshipers.

Burkina Faso's Prime Minister revealed that hundreds of civilians were killed by Islamist militants while digging defensive trenches on army orders. The victims were deceived into participating, and protective measures were not upheld.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated on Wednesday that Islamist groups in Burkina Faso have intensified their attacks on civilians, resulting in a surge of violence and fatalities amid the ongoing

That day in February, the village of Essakane in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso joined a growing list of communities in the country terrorized by increasing Islamist violence.

Jihadist groups in Burkina Faso have escalated attacks on civilians, often in retaliation against communities for refusing to join their ranks or allegedly collaborating with government troops, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday.

Islamist insurgents in Burkina Faso have stepped up attacks on civilians, carrying out door-to-door killings, slitting throats and attacking Christian worshippers, a report by campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW) says.

Groups with links to al-Qaeda and ISIL accused of ‘massacring villagers, displaced people, and Christian worshippers’.