Sahel Edition

Burkina Faso: New terror attack in Sahel province kills 18 peopleF

Posted On 7 February 2023

Number of times this article was read : 951
The North Africa Journal's WhatsApp Group

The North Africa Journal’s WhatsApp Group

At least 18 people have been killed in two attacks in Burkina Faso, sources briefed on the incidents told AFP on Sunday, as violence rages in the Sahel nation. The country faces a jihadist insurgency that swept in from neighbouring Mali in 2015, with thousands of civilians, troops and police killed, and more than two million people forced to flee their homes.

“On Saturday afternoon, armed men attacked Bani,” a town about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Dori in the Sahel region, one resident said. “We deplore 12 dead according to the first toll,” another witness said. A security source confirmed the attack, but gave no death toll.

Also on Saturday, six soldiers were killed in the country’s east when an improvised explosive device detonated, according to two security sources. “Members of the military detachment from Diapaga were on a patrol mission” when their vehicle “hit a mine on the Diapaga-Partiaga road,” one of the sources said.

Attacks blamed on suspected jihadists are on the rise in Burkina Faso. A landlocked country in the heart of West Africa’s Sahel, Burkina Faso is one of the world’s most volatile and impoverished countries. Around 40 percent of the country lies outside the government’s control. Anger within the military at the mounting toll sparked two coups in 2022, the most recent of which was in September, when 34-year-old Captain Ibrahim Traore seized power. He is standing by a pledge made by the preceding junta to stage elections for a civilian government by 2024.

AFP

More on the Sahel

Sudan’s Army Gains Ground in Kordofan as War Strains Power and Food Systems$

Sudan’s army is gaining ground in North Kordofan, securing key transport routes that could support a broader push west toward Darfur. But battlefield advances are unfolding alongside a deepening national crisis, with power grid failures, disrupted agriculture and local conflicts compounding the country’s instability. But this latest military momentum is unlikely to resolve Sudan’s widening humanitarian and infrastructure challenges.

Sahel: Niger Emerges as Key Battleground as JNIM and Islamic State Collide$

A defection, a blood feud, and overlapping territorial ambitions are pushing JNIM and the Islamic State Sahel Province into direct competition across western Niger. The outcome around the region of Dosso could determine whether Sahelian jihadist violence stays fragmented — or consolidates into a wider regional arc.

The Nigeria Precedent: Why Degrading One Group Won’t Secure Mali$

The Nigeria Precedent: Why Degrading One Group Won’t Secure Mali$

Seven months into an air campaign against ISWAP and Boko Haram, Nigeria’s broader insecurity crisis remains largely untouched. As Washington weighs a similar strike option against JNIM in Mali, the Nigeria case raises hard questions about what airpower can actually buy.