Tawori attack

Last updated
Tawori attack
Part of Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
DateMarch 31, 2024
Location
Tawori and Boungou gold mine, Tapoa Province, Burkina Faso
Result

JNIM victory

  • Tawori base captured and looted
  • JNIM massacre of civilians
Belligerents

Flag of Burkina Faso.svg Burkina Faso

Islamic State flag.svg Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin
Commanders and leaders
Aboubacar Sidiki Barry Unknown
Strength
Unknown 350 militants
200 motorcycles
Casualties and losses
41+ soldiers and VDP killed
2+ POWs		 Unknown
32 civilians 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.

Contents

Background

Violence by jihadist groups increased exponentially since the September 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état that overthrew putschist Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who came to power in a coup that January. [1] Much of the violence was caused by the al-Qaeda-aligned Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and it's affiliates in Burkina Faso and the Islamic State – Sahil Province, which have besieged towns and launched deadly attacks on Burkinabe soldiers and pro-government militiamen. [2]

Battle

At 5:15 pm, JNIM militants attacked the Burkinabe base in Tawori, which was manned by pro-government militiamen from the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) and Burkinabe soldiers. [3] [4] Around 350 JNIM militants participated in the attack on 200 motorcycles, sparking clashes with the soldiers that lasted for an hour before the jihadists seized the camp. [3] [4] JNIM militants then stayed in the village for two more hours, looting the base and civilian homes and businesses. [4] The militants also raided the Boungou gold mine located a kilometer to the north of Tawori. [3] [5] JNIM militants executed civilians en masse in Tawori and a neighboring village. [5]

Burkinabe officials deployed a Bayraktar TB2 drone from Fada N'gourma to intervene, but the drone arrived too late. [3]

Aftermath

Burkinabe officials reported a death toll of sixteen Burkinabe soldiers and 23 VDP. [4] JNIM released footage of two captured Burkinabe soldiers, although the number of prisoners taken by the jihadists is unknown. [3] [5] At least 32 civilians were killed in the massacre after the battle as well. [4] [5]

The commander at the base in Tawori, Aboubacar Sidiki Barry, was discharged from the Burkinabe Army on April 4 for failing to call on air support in time when his base was being attacked. [6] As a result, all the weapons at the base were looted by JNIM. [7]

Related Research Articles

<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.

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 April 8, 2022, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin ambushed a Burkinabe military base near the town of Namissiguima, in Sanmatenga Province, 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 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 January 11, 2023, unknown jihadists killed nine civilians at a mosque in Goulgountou, Burkina Faso.

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.

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 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 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.

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.

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 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.

References

  1. ↑ "Militant Islamist Group Violence Engulfs Burkina Faso" (PDF). Africa Center for Strategic Studies. August 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  2. ↑ "The juntas dig in as instability worsens". www.africa-confidential.com. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Sourou, Helene (2024-04-03). "Tragédie à Tawori : Une attaque terroriste fait 73 morts". Journal du niger (in French). Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Burkina Faso: au moins 73 morts dans une attaque à l'est du pays revendiquée par le Jnim". RFI (in French). 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Massacre à Tawori, Burkina Faso : 73 morts dans une attaque terroriste". Senego.com - Actualité au Sénégal (in French). 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  6. ↑ "Au Burkina Faso, nouvelle radiation d'un officier des rangs des forces armées". RFI (in French). 2024-04-07. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  7. ↑ Beganssou, Prince (2024-04-08). "Burkina Faso : Le capitaine Aboubakar Sidiki Barry radié des forces armées nationales". AFRIK SOIR (in French). Retrieved 2024-10-28.

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