On August 4, 2022, jihadist militants ambushed a counter-terrorism operation organized by the Burkina Faso Armed Forces, killing four civilians and nine VDP militiamen.^[1] The Burkinabe government claimed that thirty-four insurgents were killed immediately after the attack.

Background[edit]

Northern Burkina Faso has been embroiled in civil war between jihadist insurgents and the Burkinabe military since mid-2015.^[2] In January 2022, disgruntled military members overthrew the Burkinabe government claiming that the president, Roch Kaboré, was not doing enough to prevent an increasing amount of jihadist attacks in the country.^[3] The Damiba administration, which took power after the coup, oversaw a further rise in jihadist attacks ^[4] This trend continued in August, where just a day earlier the Burkinabe military had maimed civilians during a counter-terrorism operation in the southeast of the country.^[5]

Attack[edit]

The attack occurred in Bam province, in the north of the country. According to a Burkinabe government statement, Islamist militants attacked government forces during a counter-terrorism operation, which left nine VDP servicemen and four civilians dead.^[1] The remaining government forces fired back, and claimed to have killed 34 insurgents.^[1]

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