Sahel Edition

Burkina Faso: 14 killed in army-jihadists clash in ThiouF

Posted On 25 November 2021

Number of times this article was read : 417
Three soldiers and 11 suspected jihadists were killed when an army unit came under fire in northern Burkina Faso, the military said on Thursday.   The detachment in Thiou, in the northern province of Yatenga, was attacked early Wednesday, military headquarters said in a statement.  The troops “neutralised 11 terrorists” for the cost of three dead and around 10 wounded, it said, using a term routinely applied to jihadists.  Ground-based reinforcements were brought in, with air support, to evacuate the wounded and secure the area, it added.
Groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have plagued the landlocked Sahel nation since 2015, killing about 2,000 people and displacing 1.4 million from their homes.  The latest attack brings the number of fatalities among civilians and the security forces in northern Burkina to at least 79 in 11 days. On November 14, more than 300 fighters aboard pickups and motorcycles stormed a gendarmerie camp at Inata, according to military sources. Fifty-three police and four others died, according to official figures. It was the biggest one-day loss among the security forces in the history of the insurgency. On Sunday, at least nine gendarmes and around 10 civilians were killed in Foube.
AFP

More on the Sahel

Mali: Bamako Under Siege$

Bamako is facing mounting pressure as jihadist group JNIM expands its campaign beyond military operations and increasingly targets the economic lifelines connecting Mali’s capital to the rest of West Africa. Attacks on highways, freight traffic, and commercial transport corridors have disrupted trade, affected regional commerce, and raised concerns about the government’s ability to maintain security and economic stability.

German Think Tank Accuses the UAE of Destabilizing Africa$

A report published by Germany’s Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik accuses the United Arab Emirates of playing a destabilizing role in several African conflicts through support for armed groups, logistical networks, and regional interventions. The report focuses particularly on Sudan, Libya, the Horn of Africa, and Yemen, while also criticizing Western governments for avoiding direct public criticism of Abu Dhabi.

Mali: After Kidal, The War Comes to Bamako$

Mali’s military government lost Kidal to a joint FLA-JNIM offensive on April 26, 2026, after Russian Africa Corps personnel and Malian troops withdrew under rebel escort. The fall of the city, retaken by Bamako with Russian support in November 2023, exposes the limits of the junta’s sovereignty narrative and raises serious questions about the durability of Mali’s security model.