| Bourzanga attack | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Burkina Faso  France |  Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 100 men | 100–200 men | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 5 killed, 10 wounded | 35–45 killed | ||||||
On May 21, 2022, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin attacked the city of Bourzanga, Burkina Faso, but the attack was repelled by Burkinabe and French forces.
Beginning in 2019 in Arbinda and escalating in late 2021 and early 2022, jihadist groups such as Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin, Ansarul Islam, and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara began besieging Burkinabe government-controlled towns in northern and eastern Burkina Faso. [1] Jihadists from Ansarul Islam assaulted the Burkinabe base in the town of Madjoari in southern Burkina Faso on May 19, being repelled with heavy losses. The jihadists captured the town several days later, and massacred dozens of civilians fleeing. [1]
These sieges were ongoing in northern Burkina Faso as well, including in Toeni, Djibo, and Sebba, near Bourzanga. [1]
Around 100 to 200 militants from JNIM attacked the Burkinabe military base in Bourzanga at 5am on May 21. [2] [3] A Burkinabe security source told RFI that the soldiers at the base were prepared for the attack and had known about the jihadists' plan to attack the base for several days. [2] Around a hundred Burkinabe soldiers and VDP were present in Bourzanga at the time of the attack. [4] The attack was repulsed by French fighter jets from Niamey and Burkinabe helicopters flying over the battlefield and bombing the jihadists. [2] [5]
The Burkinabe general staff gave an initial toll of thirty jihadists killed, which later rose to 35 killed. [2] [3] The bodies of dozens of attackers were presented on national television following the attack. [6] An armored vehicle, forty motorcycles, two pick-ups, and numerous weapons were captured by Burkinabe forces. [3] French officials said dozens of jihadists were killed or injured, and later clarified that 45 jihadists were killed. [4] Five Burkinabe soldiers were killed and ten were injured. [2]
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.
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.
On 25 May 2022, jihadists from Ansarul Islam or Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin attacked civilians fleeing the towns of Madjoari and Tabarga, Kompienga Province, Burkina Faso during the siege of Madjoari. The jihadists intercepted the refugees near the town of Singou, and separated the men from the women, elderly, and children. Over fifty civilians were executed by the jihadists, and fifty more were alleged to be missing. The massacre was the culmination of an offensive that began several weeks prior, with jihadists killing seventeen civilians in Madjoari on May 14 and overrunning the Burkinabe base in the town on May 19.
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.
On March 20, 2022, unknown jihadists ambushed Burkinabe soldiers in Natiaboani, Gourma Province, Burkina Faso, killing thirteen soldiers and an unknown number of jihadists.
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.
Between April 29 and 30, 2017, French forces launched an offensive against jihadists from Ansarul Islam and Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin based in the Foulsaré forest in southern Mali. The operation was dubbed Operation Bayard by the French.
On March 5, 2017, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin attacked Malian forces in Boulikessi. The attack was the first by JNIM since its inception that month.
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.
Between November 1 and 17, 2019, French and G5 Sahel troops conducted an operation against the jihadist groups of Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin, Ansarul Islam, and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara in Boulikessi, Déou, and Boula along the Malian and Burkinabe borders.
On August 8, 2021, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin ambushed Burkinabe forces in Dounkoun, Toeni Department, Burkina Faso, killing twelve soldiers.
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 November 14, 2021, jihadists from Ansarul Islam and Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin attacked the mining town of Inata, Burkina Faso, the last place in Djibo Department under Burkinabe government control at the time of the attack. The Burkinabe outpost in Inata was overrun and over fifty soldiers were killed. The attack was the deadliest ambush against Burkinabe forces since the start of the jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso in 2015, and was a primary reason for the January 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état.
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.
Between January 16 and 23, 2022, French and Burkinabe forces conducted a counter-jihadist operation in and around the cities of Gorom-Gorom and Djibo, both in northern Burkina Faso. The operation was the last major one conducted between French forces and Burkinabe ones before the January 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état, and several dozen jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin and Ansarul Islam were killed or injured.
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.
The Tin-Ediar attack or Déou attack occurred on February 17, 2023 when Burkinabe soldiers were ambushed by the Islamic State – Sahil Province (ISGS) near the village of Tin-Ediar while travelling between Déou and Oursi, Burkina Faso. Over 70 Burkinabe soldiers were killed in the ambush, and Burkinabe authorities stated 160 ISGS fighters were killed.
On February 20, 2023, jihadists from the Islamic State – Sahil Province (ISGS) ambushed Burkinabe soldiers in Tin-Akoff, Oudalan Province, Burkina Faso. Between 15 and 100 Burkinabe soldiers were killed. The attack came just three days after the Tin-Ediar attack, where over seventy Burkinabe soldiers were killed in an ISGS attack.
On April 27, 2023, jihadists from the Katiba Hanifa of Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin launched an attack on Burkinabe forces in Ougarou, Est Region, Burkina Faso. Around 33 Burkinabe soldiers and VDP were killed along with 40 jihadists.
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.
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