Burkina FasoKey figures
Who is fighting
Government of Burkina Faso (military transition)
- Burkinabe armed forces
- Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland (VDP)
- Koglweogo militias
- Russia's Africa Corps (reported presence since 2024)
- Alliance of Sahel States partners
- Russia
- Turkey (drones)
- China
- United States (renewed cooperation, 2026)
Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) / Ansarul Islam
- JNIM Burkina Faso katibas
- Al-Qaeda
Islamic State Sahel Province
- ISSP (Oudalan, Séno and Yagha provinces)
- Islamic State
Force sizes are estimates of personnel or fighters, usually from IISS, government statements or specialist reporting; irregular forces are especially hard to count. "(reported)" marks external support that the backer disputes or has not confirmed.
Background
Violence spilled into Burkina Faso from Mali in 2015 and escalated after 2018 as JNIM's Ansarul Islam affiliate and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara exploited grievances in the north and east. Two coups in 2022 brought Traoré to power; he expelled French forces, turned to Russia, joined Mali and Niger in the Alliance of Sahel States and expanded the Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland (VDP) militia. Human Rights Watch has documented mass killings of civilians, especially Fulani, by the army and VDP (e.g. Barsalogho, Nondin and Soro), while jihadists impose blockades on towns such as Djibo and Diapaga and carried out their deadliest attacks in 2024-2025.
In 2026 JNIM claimed at least ten attacks in a February wave including the Titao assault that killed 34 civilians (HRW), overran a police position at Yamba (30 killed, 6 March) and the Bagmoussa base (28 killed, 22 April), and on 30 June launched simultaneous assaults on Sebba, Solhan and Gayéri coordinated with attacks in Niger; the army claimed at least 400 militants killed in response. JNIM seized VDP and army posts near Bobo-Dioulasso, Aoréma and Pensa in September. The rivalry between JNIM and IS Sahel has turned violent, with clashes around Sebba and the Sahel region in which Crisis Group says one of the deadliest battles between the two groups may have occurred in September 2026, and an Islamic State claim in October of 400 JNIM fighters killed. Domestically the junta dissolved all political parties (January 2026), broke diplomatic relations with France (June) and jailed critics.
Recent developments
- 13 October 2026Islamic State claims 400 JNIM fighters killed in clashes in Burkina Faso; the figure is unverified but confirms a widening inter-jihadist war. source ↗
- 30 September 2026CrisisWatch: JNIM strikes government positions across multiple regions and IS Sahel clashes with JNIM in rural areas in what could be one of the deadliest battles between the two groups. source ↗
- 22 September 2026JNIM attacks an army post at Pensa, Sanmatenga, days after taking posts at Aoréma and near Bobo-Dioulasso. source ↗
- 20 July 2026Army claims it killed over 400 armed men who attacked military positions. source ↗
- 6 July 2026RFI reports at least about 50 soldiers and VDP militiamen killed in several attacks. source ↗
- 30 June 2026JNIM launches simultaneous assaults on Sebba, Solhan and Gayéri; authorities claim 400 militants killed and 353 weapons seized (ACLED unable to verify). source ↗
- 26 June 2026Burkina Faso breaks diplomatic relations with France. source ↗
Timeline
- 23 August 2015First jihadist attack on Burkinabe territory, at Oursi near the Mali border.
- 15 January 2016Al-Qaeda attack on the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou kills 30.
- 30 September 2022Capt. Ibrahim Traoré seizes power in the year's second coup; France is expelled in early 2023.
- 24 August 2024JNIM massacre at Barsalogho kills hundreds of civilians and VDP digging defensive trenches.
- 11 May 2025JNIM overruns Djibo, claiming to have killed 200 soldiers; attacks on Diapaga follow in June.
- 28 July 2025JNIM attack on the Dargo base, Namentenga: about 40-50 soldiers killed.
- 29 January 2026The junta dissolves all political parties.
- 14 February 2026JNIM attack on Titao: at least 34 civilians executed, Ghanaian traders among the dead (HRW).
- 6 March 2026JNIM overruns a special police position at Yamba, killing at least 30.
- 22 April 2026JNIM attack on the Bagmoussa military base, Koulpelogo, kills 28 soldiers and militiamen.
- 30 June 2026Coordinated JNIM assaults on Sebba, Solhan and Gayéri (repelled) alongside attacks in Niger; the army claims 400 militants killed.
- 6 July 2026At least about 50 soldiers and VDP killed in several attacks (RFI).
- 18 September 2026JNIM seizes an army post at Aoréma (Yatenga) and VDP posts near Bobo-Dioulasso; heavy JNIM-IS Sahel fighting in the north-east.
- 13 October 2026Islamic State claims to have killed 400 JNIM fighters in Burkina Faso (unverified).
Casualties and displacement in detail
| Measure | Low | High | What the figure covers · source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total killed (cumulative) | 20,000 | 25,000 | Estimates of civilians and combatants killed since 2015 (compiled on Wikipedia from ACLED-based reporting). The real figure is uncertain because the junta restricts reporting. en.wikipedia.org ↗ |
| Combatants killed | – | – | Not published; documented 2026 losses include 11 police (17-18 January), 30 police at Yamba (6 March), 28 soldiers and militiamen at Bagmoussa (22 April) and ~50 soldiers and VDP in early July. en.wikipedia.org ↗ |
| Civilians killed | 862 | – | ACLED data for 2025 only: 523 civilians killed by the army and VDP and 339 by JNIM and ISSP (Reuters citing ACLED). HRW documented at least 38 civilians killed by JNIM in three incidents in January-February 2026. acleddata.com ↗ |
| Wounded | – | – | Not recorded. hrw.org ↗ |
| Deaths in the last 12 months | – | – | No Burkina-only total retrieved. ACLED counted over 10,000 deaths across Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger in January-November 2025, of which Burkina Faso is the largest share; 2026 documented incidents are listed in the timeline. acleddata.com ↗ |
| Internally displaced | 2,060,000 | – | About 2.06 million IDPs (the government stopped publishing figures in 2023; UN estimates exceed 2 million). en.wikipedia.org ↗ |
| Refugees abroad | – | – | Tens of thousands of Burkinabe refugees in Mali, Niger, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin; no current total retrieved. hrw.org ↗ |
Intensity classification: Burkina Faso accounts for the largest share of the more than 10,000 deaths ACLED recorded across Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger in January-November 2025 and has been the epicentre of militant Islamist violence in Africa for several years; a Burkina-only 2025 or 2026 total was not retrieved. Documented 2026 attacks (Titao 34+, Yamba 30 police, Bagmoussa 28, Manni, Dourtenga, ~50 soldiers and militiamen in early July, army claims of 400 militants killed) point to a 12-month toll in the thousands..
Countries affected
Frequently asked questions
Who is fighting in the Burkina Faso jihadist insurgency (JNIM and Islamic State Sahel vs the junta)?
Government of Burkina Faso (military transition) (Burkinabe armed forces, Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland (VDP), Koglweogo militias, Russia's Africa Corps (reported presence since 2024), …), supported by Russia, Turkey (drones), China, United States (renewed cooperation, 2026); against Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) / Ansarul Islam (JNIM Burkina Faso katibas), supported by Al-Qaeda; against Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP (Oudalan, Séno and Yagha provinces)), supported by Islamic State.
How many people have been killed?
Estimates range from 20,000–25,000 killed as of 13 October 2026. Estimates of civilians and combatants killed since 2015 (compiled on Wikipedia from ACLED-based reporting). The real figure is uncertain because the junta restricts reporting. Civilian deaths are put at 862+. Figures come from the sources listed on this page and differ in method; see the caveats above.
Is the Burkina Faso jihadist insurgency (JNIM and Islamic State Sahel vs the junta) still ongoing in 2026?
Status as of 19 October 2026: Active fighting — Jihadist groups, chiefly the al-Qaeda-affiliated JNIM and the Islamic State Sahel Province, control or contest roughly a third or more of Burkina Faso and besiege dozens of towns, while Capt. Ibrahim Traoré's junta relies on mass-recruited VDP militias, drones and Russian support and refuses negotiations. 2026 has brought waves of JNIM attacks on bases and police posts, army claims of hundreds of militants killed, heavy fighting between JNIM and Islamic State Sahel in the north-east, and continued abuses against civilians by all sides.
When did it start?
The current phase began on 23 August 2015, but the underlying conflict dates back to 2012 — 11 years, 1 month ago.
Sources
- HRW World Report 2026 — Burkina Faso hrw.org
- HRW — Islamist armed group commits new atrocities (March 2026) hrw.org
- ACLED — Africa Overview July 2026 acleddata.com
- CrisisWatch — September trends and October alerts 2026 crisisgroup.org
- CRS — Burkina Faso: Conflict and Military Rule congress.gov
- Wikipedia — Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia — 2026 in Burkina Faso en.wikipedia.org
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Glostats. (2026). Burkina Faso jihadist insurgency (2026). Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://glostats.com/conflicts/burkina-faso-jihadist-insurgency/<a href="https://glostats.com/conflicts/burkina-faso-jihadist-insurgency/">Burkina Faso jihadist insurgency (2026)</a> — GlostatsFigures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.
This page summarises publicly available reporting and does not take sides. Casualty and force figures are estimates compiled on 19 October 2026; see each figure's source for its method and date. Page generated 2026-10-19. How this tracker works.