Three years into Captain Ibrahim Traoré’s rule, Burkina Faso remains a flashpoint in the Sahel’s escalating security crisis, with regional dynamics teetering between fragile progress and spiraling violence. Pan-Africanists champion Traoré’s leadership, citing agricultural gains, infrastructure growth, and reclaimed control over natural resources once dominated by foreign powers like France. Yet, U.S. Africa Command’s General Michael Langley paints a grim picture, warning that Burkina Faso is becoming a global epicenter of terrorism, with groups like JNIM (al-Qaeda-affiliated) and Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP) intensifying attacks and threatening regional stability.
Since Traoré’s 2022 coup, which ousted Paul-Henri Damiba over his failure to curb terrorism, Burkina Faso has seen a dramatic rise in jihadist violence. Langley asserts,
ISIS is getting stronger, JNIM is getting stronger, al-Qaeda is getting stronger in that country, and it has gotten worse since Traoré took over in 2022.
Data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) backs this claim, reporting over 7,800 civilian deaths in the Sahel in the first seven months of 2023 alone, with Burkina Faso bearing the brunt. A June 2024 JNIM attack in Burkina Faso’s Centre-Nord region killed between 200 and 600 soldiers and civilians, marking one of the deadliest incidents in the country’s history.
JNIM and ISSP have exploited security gaps, particularly in the tri-border region of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, where they control swathes of territory and target civilians, military outposts, and urban centers like Djibo and Ouagadougou. Langley warns that these groups are
seeking revenue, resources, and recruits from Burkinabè people, threatening their sovereignty.
The violence is spilling southward, with JNIM launching attacks in Benin and Togo, raising alarms about destabilization in coastal West Africa. Burkina Faso’s military struggles to counter this threat, hampered by limited capabilities. Despite Traoré’s high-profile engagements with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, China’s Xi Jinping, and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, anticipated military support has been minimal.
Langley notes, “The military part is the weakest point, and there needs to be sufficient resources to fight terrorism in that country, period.” Instead, he argues, these partnerships are militarizing Africa, undermining democratic aspirations. “The continent of Africa does not need to be militarized,” Langley said, expressing concern that Russia and China’s influence may prioritize geopolitical dominance over regional stability.
The withdrawal of Western forces has exacerbated the crisis. Since 2022, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger—now united under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES)—have expelled French and U.S. troops, replacing them with limited Russian support, including Wagner Group mercenaries and Africa Corps.
The AES’s 5,000-strong joint force, announced in January 2025, aims to tackle cross-border terrorism, but its effectiveness remains unproven. Meanwhile, the U.S. has shifted focus to coastal states like Benin and Togo, aiming to contain the jihadist spillover, but Langley warns that without robust regional cooperation, these efforts may fall short
Langley emphasizes shared U.S.-Burkinabè objectives, noting that ISIS-linked groups in the Sahel, West Africa, and East Africa pursue a common agenda, making them a priority for AFRICOM. “We offer to work together with the Burkinabè government and border countries,” he said, highlighting how terrorists exploit porous borders to recruit and amass resources.
However, U.S. counterterrorism programs, like the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership, have struggled to curb the rise of JNIM, ISSP, and other groups, with attacks increasing 250% in the Sahel since 2018.
The AES’s withdrawal from ECOWAS and the collapse of the G5 Sahel Joint Force have fragmented regional security coordination, complicating counterterrorism efforts. Russia’s growing presence, including military aid to Burkina Faso and Mali, has raised Western concerns about a new geopolitical battleground, with fears that it fuels instability rather than quelling it
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