Soldiers of the Burkina Faso Armed Forces were deployed in United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) between 2013 and 2023. During the mission, Burkinabe forces were the largest contributor to the mission, and often belonged to the best elements of the Burkinabe army. [1] [2]
The Badenya Battalion, meaning brotherhood in Bambara, was deployed in Timbuktu and Ber, and is sometimes called BFA BAT 1. [3] The Badenya Battalion was first deployed in Diabaly as part of African-led International Support Mission to Mali (MISMA), the predecessor to MINUSMA, but then deployed to Gao and Timbuktu following MINUSMA's creation. [4] Until 2017, the protection of the Timbuktu Airport was the battalion's main priority. They were replaced in 2017 by an Ivorian infantry company, although Burkinabe units defended the entrance to the nearby MINUSMA super camp. [5] In 2018, the Badenya Battalion defended the camp and airport from jihadists during the 2018 Timbuktu attack at the camp. [6]
The Badenya battalion was also responsible for securing and defending a large number of MINUSMA supply convoys across Mali, and defended the MINUSMA base in Ber in 2018. [7] In 2015, during a supply mission, the battalion was the target of jihadists in an ambush near Takoumbaout. [8] [9]
| Battalion Name | Dates Active | Corps commander | Size | Number of killed soldiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Badenya 1 | January 2013 - February 2014 | Jules Bationo | 850 | 2 [4] |
| Badenya 2 | January 2014 - February 2015 | Yves Patrick Ouedraogo | 850 | 5 [9] |
| Badenya 3 | January 2015 [10] - February 2016 [11] | Giles Bationo [12] | 850 [10] | 6 [8] |
| Badenya 4 | January 2016 - January 2017 [13] | Cheick Alain Kabore | 850 | None |
| Badenya 5 | January 2017 - January 2018 | 6 [14] [15] | ||
| Badenya 6 | January 2018 - January 2019 | Elie Tarpaga, Cyprien Kabore [16] [17] | 850 [16] | 3 [6] [7] |
| Badenya 7 | January 2019 [2] |
The Badenya Battalion's mandate was not renewed in January 2019, and the soldiers and their equipment were transferred to the Gondaal Battalion. [5] Many Badenya soldiers were transferred back home to fight the growing jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso. [18]
The Gondaal Battalion, meaning "good understanding" in Fulfulde, was deployed in Diabaly from 2015 to 2023, with detachments in Léré and Goundam. [19] [3] It is sometimes referred to as BFA BAT 2. [3] In September 2017, the Lere camp was transferred to the control of Malian forces from G5 Sahel. [20] The Gondaal Battalion had 850 soldiers from 2015 to 2018. [21]
In June 2016, 140 gendarmes were transferred to Gao under the command of Kanou Coulibaly within the 31st Peacekeeping Squadron, and were replaced by 140 new gendarmes in June 2017. [22] [23] A Burkinabe officer within MINUSMA committed suicide at his office in Gao on March 3, 2017. [24]
The Badenya's platoons are equipped with Serbian Zastava M70 assault rifles and Zastava M84 machine guns as well as RPG-7 rocket launchers. They are also equipped with DShK and ZPU-2 heavy machine guns and 81mm and 120mm mortars. The company is motorized on Toyota Land Cruiser pick-ups, Ural-4320 trucks, and 30 ACMAT Bastion personnel carriers. Due to constant movement, the equipment wears out quickly. [5]
Yatenga is one of the provinces of Burkina Faso, located in the Nord Region of the country. In modern Yatenga, the most prominent city is Ouahigouya. This city served as the capital of the kingdom of Yatenga, a powerful kingdom out of the many Mossi kingdoms, but its influence decreased in the century following French colonisation. The city is famed today for being home to the Naba's compound and the tomb of Naba Kango.
Marie Blandine Ouédraogo Sawadogo is a member of the Pan-African Parliament from Burkina Faso.
The African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA) is an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) organized military mission sent to support the government of ECOWAS member nation Mali against Islamist rebels in the Northern Mali conflict. The mission was authorized with UN Security Council Resolution 2085, passed on 20 December 2012, which "authorizes the deployment of an African-led International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA) for an initial period of one year."
Prostitution in Mali is legal, but third party activities such as procuring are illegal. Prostitution is common in Malian cities. UNAIDS estimate there to be 35,900 prostitutes in the country. Prostitution is on the rise, many having turned to prostitution because of poverty.
Naba Baongo II is the current Mogho Naba, the constituent king of the Mossi people of Burkina Faso. According to oral tradition, he is the 37th king of the Mossi. As king, he is seen as a symbol of tradition and still retains influence in political matters within the country, and elected MPs, ministers, and ambassadors are known to seek his approval.
On 14 April 2018, militants attacked the MINUSMA base in Timbuktu Airport, known informally as the "super camp". The JNIM later claimed responsibility for the attack, in reprisal for the deaths of some of their commanders in clashes that occurred about a week earlier.
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.
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.
Philomaine Nanema, also Philo is a Burkinabe comedian and actress. She is the recipient of the 2020 ECOWAS prize for best young comedian. In 2022, she co-presented Hello Doc, a series intended to encourage COVID-19 immunisation in Africa.
Apollinaire Joachim Kyélem de Tambèla is a Burkinabe lawyer, pan-Africanist, writer and statesman, serving as the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso since 2022.
Aï Keïta Yara is a Burkinabè actress who played the lead role in the 1986 film Sarraounia.
The battle of Ber took place on October 27, 2018, after Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) militants attacked a MINUSMA base manned by Burkinabe soldiers in Ber, Mali.
Events in the year 2024 in Burkina Faso.
On August 14, 2017, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin attacked a MINUSMA base in Timbuktu, Mali.
On July 2, 2015, a MINUSMA convoy was ambushed by jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb en route from Goundam to Timbuktu.
On January 28, 2023, suspected Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin militants stopped two buses headed from Banfora to Mangodara near the village of Linguekoro, Comoé Province, Burkina Faso, and killed fifteen passengers.
Armand Roland Pierre Béouindé is a Burkinabe politician who served as the mayor of Ouagadougou between 2016 and 2022.
Eric Wendenmenegha Bougouma is a Burkinabe statesman and politician who served as the Minister of Infrastructure of Burkina Faso from January 12, 2016, to December 8, 2021.
Lionel Joel I Wendkouni Bilgo is a Burkinabe economist, political analyst, and writer who served as the Minister of Education of Burkina Faso during the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration government.
Amadou Boucary, nom de guerre Djaffar Dicko and Yéro, is a Burkinabe jihadist who has served as the leader of Ansarul Islam since 2017.
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