Burkina Faso on the Brink

Rampant jihadist violence, government abuse of civilians, and a reliance on Russia — a country in crisis.

Burkina Faso, a landlocked nation in West Africa, has found itself at the forefront of a growing terrorist threat and sustained political crisis since 2015, with 2023 bearing witness to rampant jihadist violence, massacres, and government abuse of civilians. In 2022, terror related deaths in Burkina Faso increased by 50 per cent to 1,135, and attacks in the country are becoming more deadly, with the number of people killed per attack increasing by 48 per cent from 2021.Since 2015, the rise in terror can be largely attributed to the expansion of extremist groups based in neighboring Mali, whose operations have spread further south, significantly impacting Burkina Faso. The crisis is only escalating, with September 2023 alone experiencing jihadist violence which left 50 security forces dead, in addition to a foiled coup attempt by low ranking military officials.

Joe Penney/Reuters

Background

In 2012, Tuareg separatists and armed Islamist factions took control of northern Mali in the aftermath of a military coup. Despite multiple security efforts, which included the presence of international forces and a UN peacekeeping mission known as MINUSMA, the conflict evolved into inter-communal strife and attacks by armed Islamist groups…