On April 8, 2022, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin ambushed a Burkinabe military base near the town of Namissiguima, in Sanmatenga Province, Burkina Faso.
| April 2022 Namissiguima attack | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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|
 Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | 40 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
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16 killed
| Unknown | ||||||
Prelude
editIn 2015, northern Burkina Faso became embroiled in a jihadist insurgency, after Islamist groups from eastern Mali infiltrated north and central provinces. Sanmatenga province became a hotspot of violence, with attacks in 2019 ramping up and killing dozens of people. In January 2022, the elected president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré was overthrown by disgruntled military captains led by Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba over Kabore's mismanagement of the war. Despite this, in March 2022, over 30 people were killed in jihadist attacks in northern Burkina Faso.[1] The attack in Namissiguima was a response to battles in Barsalogho the previous day, where the Burkinabe army went on the offensive.[2] In the battles, twenty jihadists were killed.[2]
Attack
editAround 5:00 am on April 8, around 40 gunmen attacked the town of Namissiguima and its military base, setting fire to houses and the local market.[3][4] The Burkinabe government stated that their forces took heavy losses in relation to the jihadists, but did not give a toll for jihadist casualties, although RFI claimed there were some killed.[5][2] A local elected official in the area stated that the jihadists were attempting to free several of their comrades that had been captured during the offensive in Barsalogho.[6]
Casualties and aftermath
editThe Burkinabe government stated twelve Burkinabe soldiers were killed, along with four VDP.[1] Twenty-one soldiers were injured as well.[5] The government also stated the arrival of reinforcements to the area.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c "At least 16 killed in attack on army base in Burkina Faso". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
- ^ a b c "Burkina Faso : l'armée attaque, les groupes terroristes contre-attaquent". Afrik (in French). 2022-04-09. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
- ^ "Burkina Faso: Armed Islamists Kill, Rape Civilians". Human Rights Watch. 2022-05-16. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
- ^ Topchi, Ali. "Burkina Faso army: Militants kill, wound dozens of soldiers". Burkina Faso army: Militants kill, wound dozens of soldiers. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
- ^ a b "Suspected extremist attack kills 16 soldiers in Burkina Faso". AP NEWS. 2022-04-08. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
- ^ "Nord du Burkina : 16 morts dans une attaque contre un détachement militaire". Le Figaro (in French). 2022-04-08. Retrieved 2024-09-26.