2024 Barsalogho attack

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2024 Barsalogho attack
Part of Islamist insurgency in Burkina Faso
Sanmatenga departments.png
Location of Barsalogho Department in Sanmatenga Province, Burkina Faso
LocationBarsalogho, Barsalogho Department, Burkina Faso
Coordinates 13°24′54″N1°3′23″W / 13.41500°N 1.05639°W / 13.41500; -1.05639
Date24 August 2024
Target Burkinabè soldiers and civilians
Attack type
Gunfire
Deaths600+ [1] [2] [3]
Injured300+ [4]
PerpetratorIslamic State flag.svg Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin

An attack on 24 August 2024 by fighters of Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda-aligned jihadist organization, killed hundreds of civilians who dug trenches as well as members of the Burkina Faso Armed Forces [5] [1] in the Barsalogho Department of northern Burkina Faso. The attack is part of an ongoing jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso and the Sahel. [6] [2] It is the deadliest attack in the country's history. [7]

Contents

Background

Since August 2015, a civil conflict between the government of Burkina Faso and Islamist rebels has killed at least 10,000 civilians and combatants and displaced more than 2 million people. Almost half of Burkina Faso's territory is in the hands of al-Qaeda-linked terrorists. [6] The war is part of the wider insurgency in the Sahel. [8] [9] [10]

In August 2024, jihadists began to close in on the Barsalogho Department city of Kaya, which represented the last defensive line between the terrorists and Burkina Faso's capital of Ouagadougou. In anticipation of an attack, the Burkina Faso Armed Forces recruited nearby residents to dig defensive trenches around the town of Barsalogho, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the north of Kaya. [6]

Attack

On 24 August 2024, from 09:00 to 16:00, [4] a group of JNIM terrorists opened fire on soldiers and townspeople who were digging defensive trenches for the army and the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) [5] —a civilian armed group that supports the Burkinabe military. [11] Hundreds of people were killed, while many wounded people were taken to a hospital in Kaya. Most of the victims were young residents of the town who helped soldiers dig trenches. [2] [12] Local officials and members of the VDP were also among the casualties. [11] The attackers captured several weapons and an ambulance used by the Burkinabe military. [6] Survivors of the attack and relatives of the dead said that members of the military fled during the assault. [1] On 27 August, sources told Reuters that the attack had likely killed at least 400 or 500 people; [2] a French government security assessment acquired by CNN in October concluded that up to 600 people had been killed in the attack. [1] Burkinabe soldiers, auxiliaries, and air support responded to the attack, reportedly killing several terrorists and limiting further Burkinabe casualties. [11] [12]

Aftermath

After the attack, JNIM released several videos of the bodies of those killed. [6] The group's leader, Iyad Ag Ghaly, claimed that it had taken control of a militia headquarters in Barsalogho. [13] The JNIM killed people in the trenches where they were digging in an effort to turn them into mass graves, and said that the army ordered civilians to dig military trenches in an apparent act of desperation to counter the jihadists' advances. [6]

On 23 September, the Burkinabe government stated that it had discovered a three-stage plot to destabilise the country “with the help of foreign powers” and individuals based in Ivory Coast. It also claimed that the attack in Barsalogho was the first phase of the plot. [14]

Reactions

JNIM issued a statement claiming that they had not killed civilians but militia members working for the army. [15]

Families of the victims of the attack, issuing a statement under the advocacy group Collectif Justice pour Barsalogho (English: Justice Collective for Barsalogho), accused the Burkinabe government of leaving the victims vulnerable to the attack by forcing them to dig trenches. They called for an investigation into who had given them the orders to do so. [16] [15]

The attack was condemned by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, [17] the European Union, [18] Malian president Assimi Goïta, [18] and Pope Francis. [19]

Human Rights Watch accused the Burkinabe government of putting civilians at risk in the attack through its reliance on the VDP. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin</span> Militant jihadist organisation

Jama'at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin is a Salafi Jihadist organisation in the Maghreb and West Africa formed by the merger of Ansar Dine, the Macina Liberation Front, al-Mourabitoun and the Saharan branch of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Its leaders swore allegiance to Ayman al-Zawahiri.

On December 24, 2019, militants from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara attacked the Burkinabe government military base in Arbinda, Sahel Region, Burkina Faso along with the town of Arbinda itself. The attack was halted due to French and Burkinabe air intervention, although 35 civilians were killed in the jihadists' massacre. The Arbinda attack was the deadliest incident in the jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso in several years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamist insurgency in Burkina Faso</span> Ongoing insurgency in Burkina Faso (2015–present)

An ongoing war and civil conflict between the Government of Burkina Faso and Islamist rebels began in August 2015 and has led to the displacement of over 2 million people and the deaths of at least 10,000 civilians and combatants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamist insurgency in the Sahel</span> Insurgency throughout the Sahel and West Africa

An Islamist insurgency has been ongoing in the Sahel region of West Africa since the 2011 Arab Spring. In particular, the intensive conflict in the three countries of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso has been referred to as the Sahel War.

On June 11, 2022, jihadists from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara attacked the town of Seytenga, Séno Province, Burkina Faso, killing over a hundred civilians in a massacre. The massacre occurred after Burkinabe forces evacuated the city following ISGS' takeover of the Burkinabe base in the town on June 9.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Djibo</span> Battle between Burkina Faso and Jihadist rebels

The siege of Djibo is an ongoing blockade of the city of Djibo in Burkina Faso by several factions of Jihadist Islamist rebels. The siege began in February 2022, and is part of the Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso.

On September 4, 2023, clashes broke out between jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin and Burkinabe soldiers backed by pro-government VDP militiamen in the village of Koumbri, Yatenga Province, Burkina Faso. The battle left over fifty Burkinabe soldiers and militiamen dead and an unknown number of jihadists killed.

On January 12 and 13, 2023, jihadists kidnapped sixty-six people in two separate incidents near Arbinda, Burkina Faso. The abducted civilians were eventually freed by the Burkinabe military on January 20. The kidnappings were the first of their kind to target women during the insurgency.

On January 28, 2023, suspected Islamic State jihadists attacked Burkinabe soldiers and Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) militiamen in the city of Falagountou, Burkina Faso.

The JNIM-ISGS war is an ongoing armed conflict between Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) and the Islamic State – Sahil Province (ISGS), the Sahelian branches of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State respectively. Since ISGS' formation in October 2016 and the creation of the JNIM coalition in 2017, the two groups had been described as the Sahelien exception or Sahelien anomaly: despite the global war between al-Qaeda and Islamic State affiliates since the latter's splinter from the former in 2014, both ISGS and JNIM have ignored each other and in rare cases worked together against Malian, Nigerien, Burkinabe, French, and international governments and non-Islamist militias until 2020.

On April 15, 2023, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin attacked a group of Burkinabe soldiers and civilian volunteers in the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) near Aorema, Yatenga Province, Burkina Faso, killing at least forty soldiers and VDP and injuring over thirty others. The attack occurred a month after a massacre against civilians by JNIM in Aorema that killed fourteen. Following the attack, Burkinabe soldiers searching for the perpetrators of the April attack killed over 130 civilians in the Karma massacre.

On December 27, 2018, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin attacked Burkinabe soldiers in Loroni, northern Burkina Faso, killing ten soldiers. The attack was the deadliest incident for Burkinabe forces since the Nassoumbou attack in 2016.

On August 4, 2021, jihadists from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara attacked several towns and Burkinabe bases in Markoye Department, Oudalan Province, Burkina Faso. Several rural villages were raided and civilians were killed, and the jihadist raids on Burkinabe bases in Tokabangou sparked battles that killed dozens of Burkinabe soldiers and ISGS fighters. The attacks were the deadliest day for the Burkinabe government since the Solhan and Tadaryat massacres in June 2021.

On August 18, 2021, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin ambushed a convoy of Burkinabe soldiers and civilians near Boukouma, Séno Province, Burkina Faso. The ambush sparked clashes between the jihadists and the soldiers, leaving dozens dead on both sides. At least 65 civilians were killed in the ambush as well.

On December 23, 2021, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin and Ansarul Islam attacked Burkinabe forces in Titao, Loroum Province, Burkina Faso, killing 41 soldiers. The attack was one of the deadliest attacks against Burkinabe soldiers in the country's history, and occurred just over a month after an attack on Inata killed over fifty soldiers. News of the attack sparked protests across Burkina Faso.

The siege of Madjoari began in February 2021 and lasted until May 25, 2022, as part of the jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso. Jihadists from Ansarul Islam and Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin began attacking the city, controlled by Burkinabe forces and the pro-government Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), and ambushed Burkinabe troops and cut off supply lines. Civilians in Madjoari starved, and almost all of them fled to elsewhere in Burkina Faso or to Benin. In May 2022, as the siege came to an end, the jihadists overran the Burkinabe military base and then massacred over fifty civilians fleeing in the Singou massacre.

On June 26, 2023, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin ambushed a Burkinabe convoy near Namssiguia, Bam Province, Burkina Faso. The attack and subsequent battle killed 34 Burkinabe soldiers, with Burkinabe authorities stating over 40 jihadists were killed.

On June 26, 2023, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin attacked pro-government Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) militiamen in Noaka, Sanmatenga Province, Burkina Faso. Over 33 VDP were killed in the attack, and Burkinabe officials claimed that over 50 jihadists were killed.

On March 31, 2024, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin attacked Burkinabe forces in Tawori, Tapoa Province, Burkina Faso. Over seventy Burkinabe soldiers were killed and thirty-two civilians were killed during the attack and the subsequent massacre.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Vandoorne, Saskya; Walsh, Nick Paton; Mezzofiore, Gianluca (4 October 2024). "Massacre in Burkina Faso left 600 dead, double previous estimates, according to French security assessment". CNN. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Christensen, Sofia (27 August 2024). "Suspected jihadists kill hundreds in Burkina Faso attack". Reuters . Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  3. ↑ Singh, Satyam (5 October 2024). "Over 600 Killed in Burkina Faso Massacre: Report". NewsX . Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Burkina Faso: l'hôpital de Kaya confronté à l'urgence après le massacre de samedi" [Burkina Faso: Kaya hospital faces emergency after Saturday's massacre] (in French). Radio France Internationale. 25 August 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  5. 1 2 Fröhlich, Silja; Mwanamilongo, Saleh (27 August 2024). "Burkina Faso vows 'determined response' against terrorists". Deutsche Welle . Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Up to 200 people killed in attack in central Burkina Faso". Al Jazeera. 25 August 2024. Archived from the original on 26 August 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  7. ↑ Le Cam, Morgane (5 September 2024). "Le Burkina Faso a subi l'attaque terroriste la plus meurtrière de son histoire" [Burkina Faso has suffered the deadliest terrorist attack in its history]. Le Monde . Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  8. ↑ "Burkina Faso: une gendarmerie attaquée près de la frontière malienne" [Burkina Faso: Gendarmerie attacked near Malian border] (in French). Radio France Internationale. 9 October 2015. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  9. ↑ "Le Burkina Faso va renforcer la sécurité de ses postes de police frontaliers" [Burkina Faso to strengthen security at border police posts] (in French). Radio France Internationale. 27 October 2016. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  10. ↑ "Decade of Sahel conflict leaves 2.5 million people displaced" (Press release). United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. 14 January 2022. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  11. 1 2 3 "Dozens Killed In Latest Militants' Attack In Burkina Faso". Sahara Reporters. 26 August 2024. Archived from the original on 26 August 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  12. 1 2 "'Terrorists' kill dozens in Burkina Faso". Le Monde . Agence France-Presse. 26 August 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  13. ↑ Le Cam, Morgane (27 August 2024). "At least 100 civilians killed in one of the deadliest attacks in Burkina Faso's history". Le Monde . Archived from the original on 27 August 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  14. ↑ "Burkina Faso's ruling junta claims foiling an attempt to destabilize the country". Associated Press . 25 September 2024.
  15. 1 2 Lewis, David (29 August 2024). "Al Qaeda branch says it killed 300 fighters, not civilians, in Burkina Faso attack". Reuters. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  16. ↑ "Burkina victims' families criticize army over massacre". Voice of America. 27 August 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  17. ↑ "Guterres strongly condemns Burkina Faso terror attack; hundreds killed and injured". United Nations. 27 August 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  18. 1 2 Tasamba, James (29 August 2024). "EU expresses concern over deteriorating security situation in Burkina Faso". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  19. ↑ Christensen, Sofia (3 September 2024). "Burkina Faso junta faces outcry after militants kill scores in Barsalogho". Reuters. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  20. ↑ Christensen, Sofia (29 October 2024). "Burkina Faso put civilians at 'unnecessary risk' during militant attack, rights group says". Associated Press. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
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