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Burkina Faso acted as a mediator during theMali War between rebels and the government. Burkina Faso led an intervention into the country in 2013. However, in November 2014, Compaoréwas overthrown, marking the end of his rule and creating a scenario of instability.[13]
On 23 August 2015, theinsurgency in the Maghreb spread to Burkina Faso, beginning with an attack on a gendarmerie by allegedBoko Haram members.[14][15] Between August 2015 and October 2016, seven different posts were attacked across the country, leaving 15 dead and 11 injured.[16][17] On 9 October, three gendarmes, one rebel, and one civilian were killed during a battle inSamorogouan [fr],Hauts-Bassins.[18][19] On 31 May 2016, three police officers were shot dead in Intangom. On 1 September 2016, a team of two to four jihadists murdered a customs officer and a civilian inMarkoye, injuring three others. Two days later,Sahrawi terroristAdnane Abou Walid Al-Sahraoui accepted responsibility for the attack.[20]
In 2016, the number of attacks spiked after a new groupAnsarul Islam, led by imamIbrahim Malam Dicko, was founded.[22][23] The group is particularly active at the border territories ofMali andBurkina Faso. A large proportion of attacks have been focused onSoum province.[22][24] On 16 December,Ansarul Islam killed dozens of people in theattack on Nassoumbou.[25] On the first of January 2017, an Imam and defect from Asarul Islam was assassinated inTongomayel.[25] Two months later, a teacher was murdered in the village ofKourfayelSamorogouan [fr],Soum province.[26] On 22 March, the leader ofAnsarul Islam, Harouna Dicko, was shot dead inPétéga by security forces.[27] By this point, a total of 70 people, the majority of them soldiers, gendarmes and police officers, had been killed in a series of 20 attacks.[28]
Between 27 March – 10 April 2017, the governments of Mali, France, and Burkina Faso launched a joint operation named "Operation Panga", composed of 1,300 soldiers from the three countries, in Fhero forest, near theBurkina Faso-Mali border, considered a sanctuary forAnsarul Islam.[29][30] On 5 April,Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin detonated an improvised explosive device on a French military vehicle, injuring two people. An allied detachment found the militants during a search operation, but the armed Islamist group members attacked again, killing a French soldier.[31] During the ensuing twelve days of searching, two jihadists were killed, eight were taken prisoner, and up to 200 suspects were arrested.[32][33] The French forces quickly returned to the offensive, with several successful raids against military targets.[34][35][36]
On 27 May, in Pétéga, a retired policeman was assassinated by militants. On the night of June 2, at least five people, including a couple and their child, were murdered in targeted attacks across Soum province.[37] On 9 June, military forces rounded up 74 villagers in the town ofDjibo accused of collaborating withAnsarul Islam. Several of the villagers weretortured, two fatally.[38] On 12 July, ashootout between government forces and jihadist militants took place, with no casualties.[39]
The head ofAnsarul Islam, Ibrahim Malam Dicko, was killed in June 2017. He was succeeded byJafar Dicko. On the night of July 24, five members ofAnsarul Islam were assassinated in the villages of Ndidja, Sibé and Neyba,Soum province, possibly by the new leadership.[40]
On 17 August, a Burkinabè army vehicle rolled over an explosive in Touronata, killing three people and injuring two more.[42] On 15 September, three men, including an imam and a local village chief, were slain by militants inSoum province.[43] On 23 September, seven soldiers were killed in a mine explosion. Three days later, two gendarmes were killed in an ambush by jihadist militants.[44] On 9 November, theBurkina Faso Armed Forces killed 12 jihadists in the village of Ariel.[45]
In 2018, the insurgency spread to the east of the country.[47][48][49] Jihadist militants launched three attacks on 13 June: inTindangou, against apolice checkpoint, and on the police station and gendarmerie brigade ofComin-Yanga.[50] On 12 August, six people were killed by jihadist militants in a bombing inBoungou, nearFada N'Gourma.[51][52] On the night of August 27, eight Burkinabe soldiers were killed in a bombing likely carried out by jihadist militantsPama.[53][54] On the night of September 14, Jihadist militants murdered nine people in the villages ofDiabiga andKompiembiga including a religious leader.[55][56][57] Rebels kidnapped three employees in a gold mine – anIndian, aSouth-African and a Burkinabé, killing three Burkinabé gendarmes in the process.[58] On 4 October, six Burkinabé soldiers died after their military convoy ran over an explosive device.[59] That night, an army of forty Islamists launched an attack against local gendarmes inInata.[60] The following day, six policemen died in a mine bombing nearSollé.[61][62]
In early October, the Armed Forces of Burkina Faso launched a major military operation in the country's East, with French support.[63][64][65] On 3 December, Burkinabé gendarmes repelled an ambush at Bougui, ten kilometres from Fada N'Gourma, killing six militants and injuring another.[66][67]
On 1 January 2019, militants murdered twenty people in the village ofYirgou,Barsalogho department. The villagers, mostly ethnicMossis suspicious of the Fulani and their ties to militants, massacred theFulani members of the town in theYirgou massacre.[68][69][70] 72 people were killed and over 6,000 were displaced by the violence.[71]
On 10 January, a group of 36 jihadist militantskilled twelve civilians inGasseliki.[72] 17 days later, ten more civilians were killed in Sikiré, nearArbinda.[73] On 28 January, four Burkinabé soldiers were killed and five others wounded in Nassoumbou.[74] From 3–4 February, jihadist militants were reported to have massacred 14 civilians inKaïn, 80 kilometres fromOuahigouya.[75] On 4 February, the army killed 146 jihadists in the departments ofKaïn,Banh andBomborokuy.[76]Human Rights Watch alleged that the military had carried out severalsummary executions.[77] TheBurkinabé Movement for Human and Peoples' Rights reported that even though no evidence was found of an attack carried out by terrorists in Kain on that date, government forces killed about sixty civilians.[78][79]
On 15 February, theCentre-Est region was for the first time attacked by militants. Four Burkinabés and aSpanish priest were killed at a customs post inNohao, close to the border withTogo.
According toHuman Rights Watch, between mid-2018 to February 2019, at least 42 people were killed by jihadist militants and 116 mostly Fulani civilians were killed by the Burkinabé military.[80] From 31 March to 2 April, ethnic clashes between Fulani,Kurumbas, andMossis killed 62 people inArbinda.[81][82][83][84][85]
In 2019, Jihadist groups began a persecution ofChristians. The campaign began on 28 April 2019, when six people, including a pastor, were killed by militants inside a Protestant church in Silgadji.[86][87] On 12 May, six more people, including one priest, were killed in a Catholic church in Dablo after it was attacked by Islamists.[88][87] The next day, a Catholic procession was targeted nearKayon andSinga-Rimaïbé, inZimtanga department. Four civilians were killed and a statue of theVirgin Mary was destroyed.[89][90][87]
On 9 June 19 civilians died in an attack onArbinda.[91] On 18 June, jihadist militants killed 17–18 people in the village of Béléhédé.[92] On 22 June 15 villagers in Sagho and Toekédogo,Barsalogho department, were killed,[93] and on the night of 25–26 July, 22 other villagers were killed in a massacre in Dibilou, near the city ofKaya.[94]
According to theACLED, armed violence in Burkina Faso increased by 174% in 2019, with nearly 1,300 civilians dead and 860,000 displaced.[95]
On 4 January 2020, a bus carrying middle school students blew up after it ran over an explosive device between Toéni andTougan, resulting in fourteen deaths.[96] On 20 January, jihadist militants attacked the villages of Nagraogo and Alamou, inBarsalogho,Sanmatenga, and massacred 36 civilians.[97][98][99] The next day, theParliament of Burkina Faso passed a law permitting the recruitment of civilian militias calledKoglweogo to combat the growing insurgency.[100][98][101] The idea was initially proposed bypresidentRoch Marc Christian Kaboré in November 2019.[98]
On 25 January, the village of Silgadji was attacked again by militants, killing 39 civilians.[102][103][104][99] Three days later, six Burkinabé soldiers were killed betweenMadjoari andPama, inKompienga province.[105] On 12 February, two civilians were killed by jihadist militants inTanwalbougou.[106]
On 16 February, a Protestant church in Pansi was attacked by jihadist militants, who killed 24 people (including the pastor) and wounded 20 more. This was a week before five people (also including a pastor) were killed in a church in the neighbouring town ofSebba.[107][108][109]
On 29 February, Sebba was attacked again, leaving ten policemen dead.[110]
On 8 March, the Fulani villages of Barga-Peulh and Dinguila-Peulh,Barga department, were raided by pro-government militias, whose members killed 43 civilians.[111]
In October, around fifty refugees tried to return to their home region. Their convoy was ambushed in the middle of the night, ten kilometers fromPissila. 25 male refugees, approximately half of the convoy, were killed by jihadist militants. All women and children were spared.[115]
On 20 August, jihadist militants killed 80 people inGorgadji, including 59 civilians.[117]
November became one of the year's bloodiest months for Burkina Faso.[118][119][120] On 14 November, theJama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin attacked the gendarmerie inInata, killing 53 people, including four civilians. The attack, which remains the greatest loss suffered by the Burkinabe military during the insurgency so far, was a major blow to governmentmorale.[121] On 21 November, an attack in Foubé resulted in nine Burkinabé soldiers and ten civilians killed.[122]
In December, a group of civilians stopped a French convoy inKaya Department, alleging that France was secretly working with the jihadists.[123] In a separate incident during that month, Islamists killed 41 people in an ambush, including the popular vigilante leader Ladji Yoro. Yoro was a central figure in theVolunteers for the Defense of the Homeland, or VDP for short, a pro-government militia that has taken a leading role in the country's struggle against Islamists.[124]
On 15 January, at least 10 civilians were killed in an attack blamed on jihadist militants in northern Burkina Faso, in the village ofNamssiguian in Bam province.[125]
Operation Laabingol 1 took place in the north of the country, from 16 January to 23 January 2022. 163 jihadists were killed, injured, or captured in the operations, including 60 in collaboration with French forces in the country, according to the French and Burkinabe militaries.[126] The Burkinabe government claimed to have killed the leader of jihadists operating in theKelbo area. The Burkinabe military claimed to have lost one soldier, and two wounded in the operation, and captured many weapons, including improvised explosive devices.[127]
Burkinabé soldiers in the aftermath of the 2022 coup.
On 23 January, military officialsoverthrew Kabore's ruling government. Government failures to quell the Islamist insurgency were described as the main cause of the coup, which was met with public enthusiasm.[71][128] The junta's leader,Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, is well-known for his widely popular military operations against Islamists.[129] Damiba replaced government ministers (such asGilbert Noël Ouédraogo) perceived to have handled the insurgency poorly with more popular figures.[130]
Allegations were raised that in the aftermath of the coup thePatriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration may hire mercenaries from theWagner Group in the future. Damiba had called earlier to hire Russian mercenaries against the Islamists, but was forbidden to do so by Kabore.[131]
On 27 January, France confirmed that from 15 to 23 January 2022, more than sixty recorded jihadists had been killed in four separate incidents by Burkinabé soldiers working together with French units.[132]
Ten militants ofAnsarul Islam were killed during a battle with French forces on 10 February nearOuahigouya after the killing of five officers in the previous year.[120] Four civilians died in the crossfire. French authorities expressed regret for the civilian casualties, which they claimed were accidental.[133]
On 8–9 February, insurgentsattacked theW National Park inBenin, killing nine people. On 12 February, French forces retaliated by launching a major airstrike on an Islamist camp in Burkina Faso, killing forty rebels.[134][135][136]On 11 May 2022, militants crossed the border intoTogo and killed eight soldiers.[137]
On 9 June, several attacks took place across the country. A civilian and a soldier were killed at the Karma gold mine inYatenga Province along with 3 to 4 government soldiers injured.[138] InSeytenga Department,Séno Province, 11 military police were killed when their command post came under attack by militants. InKossi Province, 4 military police were killed in an attack.[139]
Over the weekend of 12–13 June, between 100 and 165 peoplewere killed inSeytenga Department,Séno Province. The attackers appear to have targeted men, and around 3,000 people fled their homes after the attack.[140] The UNHCR reported on 17 June that around 16,000 people had fled the area since the attack and called for urgent support for the IDPs.[141] On 12 June, at least six people were killed in Alga,Bam Province.[142]
On 18 June, theECOWAS mediator to Burkina Faso,Mahamadou Issoufou, stated that the Government of Burkina Faso controls 60% the country.[6]
On 22 June, the Government announced the creation of "military zones". Populations in these designated areas have to leave their homes and lands in order to allow the country's Armed and Security Forces to fight the armed insurgents without any "hindrances".[144]
On 25 June, the Army of Burkina Faso presented a 2-week deadline for populations in the so-called "military zones" to abandon their homes and move to safer zones.[145]
On the night 3–4 July, fourteen churchgoers were killed by militants at the Cathedral of Nouna.[146]
On August 8, five civilians and five armed volunteers were killed by unidentified assailants.[147]
On August 9, fifteen Burkinabé soldiers were killed in a double-tap bomb attack.[147]
On August 14, the Collective against Impunity and the Stigmatization of Communities (CISC), a Burkinabe NGO, denounced the massacre of at least 40 civilians allegedly perpetrated by Burkinabe soldiers on August 8. The massacre is said to have occurred inTougouri Department.[148]
On September 5, at least 35 civilians were killed and 37 wounded following a suspected jihadist attack when a vehicle in an escorted supply convoy, heading toOuagadougou, was struck by a improvised explosive device (IED) on the main road, between the northern towns ofDjibo andBourzanga, in the north of Burkina Faso.[149]
On September 26, eleven soldiers were killed and 50 civilians were missing following a suspected jihadist attack in the northern town ofDjibo in the Gaskinde area ofSoum Province of Burkina Faso. The attack also left 28 wounded, including 20 soldiers, 1 Volunteer for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) and 7 civilians.[150]
On September 30, a second militarycoup within a year occurred, with the military removing Lt Col Paul-Henri Damiba, citing his "inability to deal with an Islamist insurgency".[151] The new leader Col Ibrahim Traoré, who led an anti-jihadist unit in the north of Burkina Faso called Cobra, claimed Damiba was being protected by the French army, which resulted in violent protests by citizens outside the French embassy.[151] Traoré expects Damiba of plotting a counter-attack, which will push the country into civil war.[151] Gunshots were heard in Burkina Faso's capital city Ouagadougou and helicopters had circled overhead.[151]
On October 2, religious and community leaders announced that Damiba had agreed to resign from his position after they mediated between him and Traoré. Damiba reportedly demanded seven guarantees in return, including that his allies would be protected, a guarantee for his security and rights, and that the new junta would fulfill the promise he made to theEconomic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) about restoring civilian rule in two years.[152]
On November 9, 2022 the 14th Inter-Arms Regiment of Djibo fired artillery into the village of Holdé, Yaté, Ména, and Dabere-Pogowel. The Shells were fired from a military outpost 10 km from the villages. Many civilians were killed including women and a seven-month-old baby, the civilians mainly belonged to the Fulani ethnic minority which has long been suspected of supporting Jihadists. In total at least 50 civilians were killed in the massacre.[153][154][155]
On 20 April, possibly in response to the attack in Aoréma, the Rapid Intervention Brigade committed theKarma massacre, one of the deadliest crimes committed during the conflict. Witnesses described how residents had cheered on the advance of hundreds of soldiers into Karma, aMossi-majority village with a population of around 400 people. Despite the fact the village was pro-Traoré, soldiers rounded up civiliansen masse and had shot them. Soldiers killed civilians in their own homes and burned houses to the ground while the residents were still inside. Women, children, elderly people and babies were said to be among the dead.[161][162] While officials said that at least sixty people had been killed,[163] witnesses claimed the number of dead was around 200.[161]
On 5 November, a massacre was carried out in the village of Zaongo by an unknown group. It was reported that at least 70 people were killed, mostly children and elderly.[165] The European Union's foreign policy chiefJosep Borrell issued a condemnation and said that the death toll was over 100.[166]
On 18 November, near-simultaneous attacks took place inDiapaga, killing 15 people.[167]
On 26 November, allegedly about 3,000 jihadists affiliated withJNIM launched a major assault onDjibo, resulting in at least 40 civilian deaths. 400 jihadists allegedly died (per-Burkina Faso) in a counter-offensive, along with several Burkinabe soldiers.[168]
On 25 January, it was reported that Russia had sent around 100 troops, with 200 more expected to arrive, to help train the Burkina Faso Army and patrol dangerous areas.[169] In a state visit in June, Russian Foreign MinisterSergei Lavrov stated that the number of military instructors would increase in the future.[170]
On 25 February at least 15 people were killed by theIslamic State in an attack on a Catholic Church in the village of Essakane inOudalan Province.[171] Dozens of civilians were killed during an attack on a mosque in Natiaboani. Members of the auxiliaryVDP were also targeted.[172] Burkina Faso's armysummarily executed 223 civilians. Massacres occurred in Nondin and Soro villages.[173]
On 3 March, a recent attack on three villages led to the killing of 170 people by the militants.[174]
On 11 June,JNIMattacked a military base and captured it killing 107 soldiers and taking another seven prisoner.[176]
Reports found August to be a particularly deadly months. JNIM killed over 950 people which was a 117% increase in fatalities from July according toACLED.[177] On 25 August, JNIM again launcheda major attack on people digging trenches for the fortification of security outposts in the region ofBarsalogho. At least 600 people were killed and 300 people were injured in the attack.[178][179][180]
On February 10, the Burkinabe army announced it had "neutralised" at least 73 suspected terrorists in the Sourou province, in the west of the country.[181]
Videos released by the az-Zallaqa Foundation[citation needed]
On May 11, JNIM militants attacked several places including hospitals, military bases and civilian infrastructure as well as police station and market in the town ofDjibo. The army failed to repel the attack and as a result between 100 and 200 civilians and soldiers were killed.[183]
On May 12, JNIM launched another attack on Diapaga. This time, they took control of the town for several hours, destroying buildings and monuments, and releasing inmates from the local prison, which was holding suspected insurgents.[184][185]
On May 27, The Burkianabe Armed Forces recaptured the town ofGassam in the Boucle du Mouhoun Region. Reportedly, around 87 militants were killed in the offensive.[186]
On June 1, JNIM took over a military base inKoumbri,Yatenga Province, killing 45 Burkinabe soldiers and 10 VDP militiamen.[187][188]
On June 16, JNIM destroyed a telcommunications tower inKoaré [fr], 15 km from Fada N'gourma.[190][191]
On July 11, JNIM militants ambushed a VDP patrol inOuarkoye, nearDédougou, killing 16 and destroying 21 motorcycles.[192][193]
On July 28, 100 JNIM militants launched an attack on a base inDargo, killing around 40-50 soldiers. The militants also looted and set fire to the base.[194][195] A convoy travelling betweenGorom-Gorom andDori was also attacked byISGS militants, killing at least 30.[196]
On August 9, the BIR-7 Battalion launched a coordinated attack on JNIM militants nearKantchari, who were preparing for an assault on the town. About a hundred militants were killed during the attack and a large stockpile of weapons was abandoned.[197]
Displaced Fulani civilians in the aftermath of the Yirgou massacre.
Ahumanitarian crisis has erupted in the aftermath of the conflict, with thousands of people killed by both sides.[80] TheUNHCR estimates that six in ten displaced people in theSahel are from Burkina Faso.[203]
Government forces have summarily executed a very large number[need quotation to verify] of civilians, disproportionately targeting ethnicFulani.[204][failed verification] In October 2019, 14 men had theirturbans ripped off by government forces, then forced into a truck and executed. Fulanis have also been subject to violence by pro-government civilians, such as during the 2019Yirgou massacre, in which hundreds of civilians were murdered by ethnic Mossis.[80]
In 2020, a mass grave containing the bodies of over 180 civilians was discovered nearDjibo, killed by government forces. Summary executions and war crimes committed by the military have become a disturbingly routine occurrence in the town.[205] In one separate incident, 10 civilians were killed in a market place in Petagoli, three of themDogon foreigners from Mali.[206]
Jihadists have also been guilty of human rights abuses. Islamists have also targeted schools, the most famous example happening on 12 November 2018, when six Islamists broke into aprimary school, mugged the principal, and attacked several students. This was one of the few local cases in which the people responsible for such an attack were arrested.[207][208] Rebels have justified attacks on schools by painting them as French and Western-style indoctrination programs.[209] Numerous schools have been shut down, leading to an estimated 300,000 children without access to education.[129] Villagers have been terrorized during their everyday lives, often prohibited from holding baptisms or marriages; the assassination of local elders has become a common occurrence.[80] From April 2019 to January 2020, Human Rights Watch recorded the killing of at least 256 civilians in a series of 20 different attacks.[87] Between February and September 2024, JNIM had killed at least 128 civilians in attacks across the country.[210] These attacks targeted villagers, displaced peoples, and non-Muslims. An ACLED report however said that JNIM's killings reached 1,004 civilians in 259 attacks between January and August.[210]
From May 2025 onwards, JNIM and IS-GS were responsible for the killings of dozens of civillians in Burkina Faso, such as an attack on the town of Djibo on May 11, and the village of Youba on August 3, altogether killing at least 40 civilians.[211] Witnesses to the massacres reported that JNIM was targeting ethnic Fulanis, and that local notable families like the Tambouras defected from JNIM to the government's side.[211]
^Serwat, Ladd; Birru, Jalale (5 September 2025)."Africa Overview: August 2024".Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED). Retrieved9 September 2025.
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