| Tafagou and Nobiol massacres | |
|---|---|
| Part ofJihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso | |
| Location | Tafagou, Nobiol, and other villages inDori andGorgadji communes,Burkina Faso |
| Date | May 21, 2025 |
| Deaths | 105+ |
| Perpetrator |  Burkina Faso Armed ForcesVolunteers for the Defense of the Homeland |
On May 21, 2025, soldiers from theBurkinabe Armed Forces and alliedVDP militiamen attacked several villages including Tafagou and Nobiol in the communes ofDori andGorgadji, in northeastern Burkina Faso. At least 105 were killed in these massacres.
Burkinabe forces and allied VDP militiamen have conducted various massacres against the civilian populace in search ofJama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin militants since the start of the insurgency in Burkina Faso, although death tolls in the three-digit range didn't begin until theFada N'Gourma-Diapaga massacres in 2024, where several hundred civilians were killed.[1] In March 2025, theSolenzo massacre took place against civilians by Burkinabe forces, where they attacked several villages in Solenzo commune in western Burkina Faso.[2]
The convoy of Burkinabe forces leftArbinda on May 21 towards Dori. Along the way, soldiers in the convoy attacked the towns of Tafagou and Nobiol, killing 105 civilians.RFI reported that the attackers didn't spare women, children, or the elderly.[3] The bodies were buried in mass graves.[3] Videos and photos confirmed the government's involvement in the massacres.[4] The Burkinabe government didn't initially release a statement on the massacres.[3] On May 31, Defense MinisterCelestin Simpore said that the videos were propaganda, but deleted his statement several hours later.[4]