Tag: Burkina Faso
The shifting front of militant Islamist Violence in the Sahel
Militant Islamist violence in the Sahel continues to shift southward and westward, putting ever more pressure on population centers in Mali, Burkina Faso, and...
What France loses by closing its military bases in Africa
Senegalese president Bassirou Diomaye Faye announced on 31 December 2024 that all foreign military bases in his country would close by 2025. On the...
African arms imports decline by nearly 50% over last decade
Imports of major arms by African states fell by 44% between 2015–19 and 2020–24, which was mainly due to decreases in the arms imports...
Interpol operation clamps down on illegal mining in West Africa
An Interpol-led operation targeting illegal mining in Burkina Faso, the Gambia, Guinea and Senegal has led to the arrest of 200 people and seized...
West Africa could soon have a jihadist state – here’s why
The Sahel region of Africa, between the Sahara and the tropical savannahs to the south, has emerged as a significant base of groups that...
Africa’s constantly evolving militant Islamist threat
The threat from militant Islamist groups in Africa over the past decade has steadily grown—with almost three times the number of annual violent events...
Countries use an alternative counterterrorism approach: Economic development
After years of fighting terrorism in the Sahel, experts say one counterterror tool has been badly neglected: economic development.
Job creation and economic growth can...
Organized crime fuels terror in Sahel nations
The military juntas leading Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have pledged to confront the terrorist groups plaguing their countries. However, a recent United Nations...
Military rule is on the rise in Africa – nothing good...
In the last few years, there has been a spate of military coups in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Sudan and Guinea. Military rule, long...
Burkina Faso terror killings slammed
The world’s two most substantial international blocs – the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN) – both came out strongly against last...
“Non-State” attacks in Burkina Faso force thousands to flee
Renewed attacks on civilians in eastern Burkina Faso by what the United Nations (UN) Refugee Agency terms “non-State armed groups” is forcing thousands to...
Burkina Faso receives huge batch of Chinese military equipment
Burkina Faso’s military has taken delivery of some 100 new armoured vehicles from China as it continues to expand its armed forces in the...
US deeply concerned about growing terrorism in Africa and democratic backsliding
The United States is gravely concerned about the increase of terrorism in West Africa and the Sahel, as well as democratic backsliding, and urges...
Burkina Faso takes over from Afghanistan as most terrorism-affected country
Last year Burkina Faso surpassed Afghanistan as the country most impacted by terrorism, with nearly 2 000 deaths as the global terrorism epicentre shifts...
Burkina Faso acquires more military vehicles and UAVs
Burkina Faso continues to build up its military amid ongoing terror attacks, and to this end has taken delivery of Bayraktar Akinci unmanned aerial...
Africa is the new global terrorism epicentre
The epicentre of terrorism has shifted out of the Middle East and into the Central Sahel, which now accounts for over half of all...
Exclusive: General Béhanzin on defence and security in West Africa and...
In an exclusive interview, General Francis Béhanzin, the former Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security at the Economic Community of West African States...
Ecowas: why withdrawal of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso signals fresh...
On 27 January 2024, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger announced their plan to withdraw from membership of the Economic Community of West African States...
Burkina Faso operating Chinese self-propelled guns and mortars
Burkina Faso’s military has acquired Norinco WMA301 fire support vehicles fitted with 105 mm guns from China, as well as Norinco 81 mm CS/SM1...
Kidnappings in the Sahel – a favoured weapon of war
Over 180 kidnappings were recorded in the war-torn countries of Mali and Burkina Faso in the first half of 2023 – an average of...
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have a new defence alliance
On 16 September 2023 in Bamako, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger established the Alliance of Sahel States, a mutual defence pact. The agreement was...
Burkina Faso Crisis Continues to Spiral
Following two military coups d’état in 2022, militant Islamist groups in Burkina Faso have moved to encircle Ouagadougou leaving a trail of unprecedented violence...
Burkina Faso commissions Bayraktar TB2 UAVs
Burkina Faso’s armed forces have officially taken into service Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that were recently acquired from Turkey.
It was reported in...
ISS: New targets needed to manage West Africa’s military transitions
Since August 2020, five coups have occurred in three West African countries – Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea. The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau have weathered...
Burkina Faso inches closer to Wagner mercenaries
As it seeks to expand its presence in the Sahel region, Russia appears to be following the same playbook in Burkina Faso that it...
Burkina Faso’s volunteer defense groups pose danger in volatile area
Three years after Burkina Faso recruited civilian volunteers to join the fight against terrorists in its northern regions, those groups are being blamed for...
ISS: Risks of Burkina Faso’s new military approach to terrorism
Fifty thousand Burkinabe civilians have joined the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) to fight the violent extremists currently occupying nearly half...
West Africa has experienced a wave of coups – superficial democracy...
West Africa has seen coups and military takeovers in three countries in 2022. Like those of the past, they came with promises of a...
Jihadism and military takeovers in West Africa: Burkina Faso coup highlights...
The West African sub-region at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert has recently attracted significant attention. The main reasons have been an increase...
Understanding Burkina Faso’s latest coup
Two coups d’état in 9 months mark the latest inflection point in Burkina Faso’s political instability, causing heightened uncertainty as the country faces an...
Burkina Faso coup raises questions about growing Russian involvement in west...
As if fighting in what – for now, at least – appears to be a losing battle in Ukraine weren’t enough, the Wagner Group,...
ISS: Security priorities for Burkina Faso’s new transition
On 30 September, disgruntled army officers staged a coup that toppled Burkina Faso’s transitional military leader Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba. Eight months earlier, Damiba had...
Facing unrelenting violence, Sahel countries turn to drones
Burkina Faso has become the third West African country to acquire Turkish-made armed drones for use in the fight against extremism.
The Bayraktar TB2 unmanned...
Mali, Burkina Faso face increased terrorist attacks after coups
Restoring security was the main justification used by coup leaders in Burkina Faso and Mali when they seized power. New data shows they are...
Burkinabe is top UN woman cop
Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) Alizeta Kabore Kinda of Burkina Faso is the 2022 United Nations (UN) Woman Police Officer of the Year.
The honour will...
In Burkina Faso, violence comes from all directions
Already caught in the crossfire of multiple violent extremist organizations, civilians in Burkina Faso are saying they need to be protected by their security...
ISS: Burkina Faso’s junta under pressure to deliver on security promises
The junta in power in Ouagadougou justified the 24 January coup by citing the inability of former president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré’s government to...
Guilty verdict in Sankara trial shows power of activists to fight...
On April 6, 2022, a military tribunal in Burkina Faso found 11 men, including the former president, Blaise Compaoré, guilty of “attacks on state...
Jihadism and coups in West Africa’s Sahel region: a complex relationship
The political instability and insecurity in some Sahelian states in West Africa has led to the capture of political power by their military in...
Wave of juntas in Africa and the worrisome celebratory reception by...
Within the past 18 months, Africa has experienced six coups, with the most recent in Burkina Faso on 24 January, rekindling the debate regarding...
ISS: What caused the coup in Burkina Faso?
The 24 January military coup that overthrew Burkina Faso’s president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré comes amid a deepening security crisis in the country. Both...
Joint West African operation confronts terrorists
As Sahel-based terror groups push south, some West African nations have joined forces to push back.
Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo recently conducted...
Burkina Faso president fires Prime Minister Dabire amid security crisis
Burkina Faso President Roch Kabore fired his prime minister on Wednesday amid an escalating security crisis that has killed thousands and led to street...
ISS: Burkina Faso’s security sector reform can no longer wait
With violence at a peak, the country needs to coordinate its structures and adopt a new vision to ensure the safety of its citizens.
After...
Four West African states mount operation against Islamist insurgents
Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Togo have carried out a joint military operation to counter increased attacks by Islamist insurgent groups in parts...
Suspected militants kill soldiers in Burkina Faso’s desert north
Suspected militants killed four soldiers in Burkina Faso's northern Loroum province on Sunday, the army said, in the latest of a wave of attacks.
The...
Burkina Faso lifts internet suspension a day after violent protest
The Burkina Faso government said it was lifting a suspension on the mobile internet from Sunday evening, a week after imposing the ban for...
Burkina Faso protest against militant violence turns violent
Protesters burned tyres and pillaged a government building in Burkina Faso's capital on Saturday after police fired tear gas to disperse a march against...
Burkina Faso president Kabore pledges army reform as protests loom
Burkina Faso President Roch Kabore promised to end "dysfunction" within the military in a speech on Thursday night, as the nation braced for more...
Burkina army says three soldiers killed in combat with militants
Three Burkina Faso soldiers died and 11 militants were killed during an attack on the troops in the north of the Sahel West African...