On August 24, Central Burkina Faso was the site of an attack by an al-Qaeda-linked armed group called Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (J.N.I.M.). The attack occurred in the town of Barsalogho, a critical military crossing point for Ouagadougou. The gunmen hit civilians who were digging defensive trenches around security posts in an attempt to defend the town from jihadists. The civilians had been ordered to dig the trenches by the Burkinabe military. J.N.I.M. confirmed the attack through its Az-Zallaqa Media, stating that their forces had “taken complete control over a Burkinabe militia headquarters in Barsalogho in Kaya Province.”

Early estimates placed the death toll at over 200 people with at least another 140 wounded. Currently, the highest number comes from the French government, who place the death toll at up to 600 people. Al Jazeera reporter Nicolas Haque described the scene as one where “men, women, and children [were] lying inside the trenches they were digging themselves.” Following the raid, a number of soldiers were unaccounted for and the attackers made off with guns and a military ambulance. The dead and wounded were immediately transported to health facilities in the nearby city of Kaya. 

U.N. Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric condemned the attack, expressing solidarity with Burkina Faso’s transitional authorities in their fight against terrorism. He emphasized that those responsible must be held accountable for their “despicable acts.” However, some critics placed much of the blame for the massacre on the Burkina Faso government. Citizen advocacy group Collectif Justice pour Barsalogho criticized the government’s negligence, stating that civilians had been coerced into building defensive structures that ultimately became their burial sites. Families of victims also condemned the attack, claiming that the military endangered its own people by forcing them to leave their homes to dig trenches. These concerns beg the question of how important it is for the government to protect its citizens during these kinds of attacks.

The deadly attack underscored the need for stronger and more extensive measures to fight back against terrorist activity in Burkina Faso. The use of poorly prepared military auxiliaries by the government to help contain advancing groups, such as J.N.I.M. and their jihadist kinsmen, the Islamic State Sahel Province (I.S.S.P.), has failed. Burkina Faso’s forces are struggling to stem the violence without outside help. The fact that humanitarian assistance is still needed only fuels concerns over Burkina Faso’s vulnerability, as the downgrading of international counter-terrorism support and the erosion in regional leadership have provided a strategic window for violent extremist groups to capitalize on. Burkina Faso has become an ideal operational country for extremist groups like J.N.I.M. and I.S.S.P., and such groups currently control almost half of the country.

The origins of Burkina Faso’s deadly current security crisis can be traced back to 2017, when several al-Qaeda affiliates came together to form J.N.I.M. From its neighboring Mali base, the armed group has expanded to sow violence and chaos that helped fuel two military coups in Burkina Faso this year. The human cost of the violence has been devastating, with over 8,400 people killed just last year — a doubling of the toll from 2022. This year, June 11 saw one of the deadliest attacks, when more than a hundred Burkina Faso soldiers died near the border with Niger. In recent years, the government has broken diplomatic relations with Western countries, especially France, and built a relationship with Russia, calling on Russian mercenaries to help reinforce gains with fewer results as the rebels continued their spread of violence. Despite Russian military assistance, J.N.I.M. and the I.S.S.P. are still in possession of large swaths of land in Burkina Faso.

The future of Burkina Faso hangs in a delicate balance as extremist groups continue to gain ground. The government’s current strategy has been heavily criticized for its failure to protect civilians and its inability to provide a sustainable solution to the ongoing crisis. As these armed groups expand their influence, regional stability remains at risk. A coordinated strategy involving local, regional, and international partners is essential to prevent further violence and restore peace to the region.