Burkina Faso: Underlying reasons for violence still left untackled

Within a 72-hour period, over 50 civilians and army personnel were killed in violence targeting villages in four regions across the country. According to The Defence Post reporting on 16 May 2020, about 40 people were killed in 3 attacks by jihadists in northern and south-eastern areas of the country. Many were civilian volunteers serving alongside the army. According to AP News reporting on 20 May 2022, jihadists attacked a military base in eastern Burkina Faso killing eleven soldiers and injuring over 20.

World Watch Research analyst Yonas Dembele comments: “Attacks in the country have not abated despite the leaders of the country justifying their military coup in January 2022 in part due to the previous government’s failure to address the insecurity caused by jihadists. In April 2022 the new government announced the creation of local committees to engage in dialogue with jihadists groups. The weekly attacks however indicate that the move towards dialogue has not yet yielded any positive results. It is likely that jihadist attacks will continue for as long as the underlying reasons for the violence are not being tackled. Meanwhile, the UN is warning that, at the same time as the security situation is worsening, up to 18 million people across the Sahel are facing severe hunger (AP News, 20 May 2022). It is likely that many will be driven to desperation – including Christians – and migrate northwards to Europe seeking safety and economic opportunities.”