An armed group affiliated with al-Qaeda, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), has claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on June 11 that resulted in the deaths of over 100 soldiers in the Mansila area near the border with Niger, according to the SITE Intelligence Group.
SITE reported on Sunday that JNIM released a statement claiming that five days prior, their fighters had overrun a military post in Mansila, killing 107 soldiers and seizing control of the site.
Several videos circulated by JNIM displayed intense gunfire around the army base. Another video showcased a cache of ammunition, dozens of weapons, and at least seven captured Burkina Faso soldiers.
This incident marks one of the deadliest attacks on Burkina Faso’s army in recent times. Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel programme at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, informed reporters that the government is struggling against armed groups, partly due to the recruitment of 50,000 volunteers who received minimal training, leaving them vulnerable.
“Right now, you have 50-60 percent of [Burkina Faso’s] territory outside government control,” Laessing said. Despite efforts to procure weapons and form military partnerships, including one with Russia, the government has not seen significant success.
Niger and Mali are also facing challenges with al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) affiliated violence. The instability threatens the broader Sahel region, as these groups use controlled territories in Burkina Faso and Mali as bases to launch attacks on neighboring southern coastal nations.
Laessing emphasized that Burkina Faso’s smaller size and dense population compared to Mali and Niger exacerbate the impact of such attacks, resulting in higher civilian casualties whenever the army engages these armed groups.
