New figures show that troops in Burkina Faso and Mali are causing more civilian deaths than the jihadist groups they are fighting.

In both countries, the military and its partners have been linked to far higher numbers of innocent people killed compared to attacks by militants.

In Burkina Faso last year alone, government forces and local defense volunteers took the lives of 523 civilians. Jihadist fighters were responsible for 339 deaths in the same period. The gap is even wider in Mali, where troops and foreign allies killed 918 civilians while jihadists caused 232 deaths. Over the past two years, the military in these nations have killed two to four times as many civilians as the rebels.

This pattern has continued since 2023, as both countries battle a long-running jihadist threat. The violence has turned parts of the Sahel region into one of the world’s most dangerous spots for terrorism. Many civilians are caught in the middle, living in areas controlled by militants or facing operations by the army.

Military leaders in Burkina Faso and Mali took power after coups and have pushed hard to drive out jihadists. They say their main goal is to protect the people and bring back stability.

However, the high number of civilian deaths linked to troops is raising serious worries about how these operations are carried out.

Experts point out that such killings can make the situation worse. They may push more young people to join jihadist groups out of anger or fear. In both nations, the governments have expelled foreign troops and are now handling security on their own, but the cost to ordinary citizens appears to be growing.

For now, the fighting shows no sign of slowing down. Leaders in Burkina Faso and Mali insist they need more time to crush the militants and keep the countries safe, even as questions mount about the heavy price paid by civilians.