Description: Massive armed clashes erupted between Al – Qaeda affiliated militants and the junta – led government forces in Burkina Faso on multiple locations. Initially, a pro – government militia group called Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland was accused of massacring more than 130 Fulani civilians in March, near the western town of Solenzo. The information was disclosed and supported by evidence from the Human Rights Watch group, after which an Al – Qaeda affiliated terrorist group called Jamaat Nusrat al – Islam wa al – Muslimin (JNIM) launched simultaneous attacks on military outposts on 8 locations across the country on 13 May. Due to the low availability of public sources in the country the death toll number hasn’t been determined although separate reports stated that more than 200 people have died in the armed clashes. Burkina Faso is led by a military junta under the leadership of Ibrahim Traore who seized power in the country in 2022 through a military coup.
Impact: Burkina Faso faces existential threats as part of the Sahel group of countries which are known to be terrorist hot spots and to harbor extremist and militants. Traore’s junta – led government ever since seizing power in 2022 is in a continuous skirmish against offshoots of various terrorist groups severely destabilizing the region causing spiraling security concerns. The three Sahel countries, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso are aligned with Russian regional strategic interests, alliance which was solidified with Traore’s visit and meeting with Putin during Moscow’s Victory Day Parade. The Sahel is a crucial geostrategic foothold region for Russia where most military coups were state – sponsored by Moscow. Terrorist attacks and armed clashes would be on the rise in the upcoming period, escalating the security crisis in the Sahel and further destabilizing the already fragile forms of governance within the three states.