Up to 600 people were killed in an August attack on Barsalogho, a town in Burkina Faso, by al Qaeda-linked militants, according to a French government security report. This new assessment nearly doubles previous estimates, making the attack one of the deadliest in Africa in recent years. The victims, mostly civilians, were shot as they dug trenches for defense, a strategy ordered by the military. The attackers, affiliated with Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al Qaeda affiliate based in Mali, executed the assault with precision, leaving a trail of devastation.
The French assessment, shared with CNN, significantly increases the initial death toll of the massacre. The attack occurred on August 24 when JNIM militants rode motorcycles into Barsalogho and methodically shot villagers, including women and children, who were defenseless in trenches. Videos of the massacre, posted on pro-JNIM social media accounts, show victims being shot while trying to play dead, accompanied by the relentless sound of gunfire and agonized screams.
If confirmed, this new death toll would signify an exceptionally brutal incident in the Sahel region, a large area south of the Sahara that has become increasingly lawless. Security efforts, spearheaded by the U.S. and French militaries, have largely failed to curb the spread of jihadist groups. Political instability has only made the situation worse. A series of coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger led to the expulsion of French and American forces. As the French report notes, Russian mercenaries brought in by the new regimes have not been able to fill the security gap. Instead, jihadist groups like JNIM have expanded their influence.
Initially, the United Nations estimated that at least 200 people had died in the attack. JNIM itself claimed responsibility for killing nearly 300 individuals, though it justified the massacre by labeling the victims as militia members connected to the army, rather than civilians. According to the French report, however, the government in Burkina Faso is struggling to maintain control in the face of escalating violence. “Large-scale deadly attacks (at least a hundred deaths) against civilian populations or defense and security forces have been occurring for several weeks at a rate that seems unsustainable for the government,” the report stated. The government, it added, no longer has a clear military strategy and seems to be running out of ideas.
A French official speaking to CNN confirmed that Burkina Faso’s security forces are overwhelmed, allowing jihadist groups greater freedom of movement and control. This same report highlighted another attack on a military convoy in Tawori, just two weeks before the Barsalogho massacre, where at least 150 soldiers were killed by jihadists. The report paints a grim picture of Burkina Faso’s security apparatus, which is struggling to maintain both its effectiveness and credibility.
Just a few weeks after the Barsalogho incident, on September 17, JNIM launched another attack in Bamako, the capital of neighboring Mali. The attack targeted several key locations, including the airport, and claimed over 70 lives.
The attack in Barsalogho happened while locals were digging defensive trenches under orders from the military. The trench network was meant to protect the town from nearby jihadist forces. However, when JNIM militants arrived, they claimed that those digging the trenches were combatants, despite the fact that they were civilians. Survivors recounted the horror of the day. One man, who wished to remain anonymous, told CNN he had been digging a trench about 4 kilometers from the town when he heard gunfire at around 11 a.m. “I started to crawl into the trench to escape,” he said. However, he quickly realized that the attackers were following the trench line. “So, I crawled out and came across the first bloodied victim. There was blood everywhere. I heard screaming all around me.”
He hid under a bush until the late afternoon. When he finally returned to the town, he saw the aftermath of the massacre. “There were few remaining men afterwards in the town. Seeing the bodies arrive on motorized carts from the massacre site was the most horrible thing I’d ever seen in my life. Neither women nor children had tears to shed. We were more than shocked. How can you cry if there are no tears to shed?”
The survivor explained that he and others helped to bury the dead. The trauma of the massacre has stayed with him. “We the survivors are no longer normal,” he said. “The problem is beyond us all. The massacre started in front of me. The very first shots were fired right in front of me. I was one of the people who picked up the bodies and buried them. I see my late friends when I’m asleep.” He also stated that the initial reports of 300 dead were too low. “Anyone who denies it, should come and see me,” he added.
Another survivor told CNN that she lost two family members in the attack. “They killed people all day long. For three days we were collecting bodies—scattered everywhere. Fear got into our hearts. At the burial time, there are so many bodies lying on the ground that burying was hard.”
The attack has sparked outrage, with protests erupting against Burkina Faso’s junta leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore. Traore, who came to power in 2022 after two successive military coups, has been criticized for endorsing the use of civilians to dig trenches without providing adequate protection. Some protesters have mockingly referred to Traore as “IB Captain Zero.” The trench-building initiative was part of a plan by the Minister of Civil Service, in which each settlement was expected to create its own defense system against attacks.
The government has not acknowledged any responsibility for ordering civilians to dig trenches in the face of a jihadist threat, nor has it responded to CNN’s requests for comment. The French report indicates that the regime is attempting to suppress survivors from speaking out about the massacre.
Burkina Faso’s military junta came to power amid widespread dissatisfaction over the government’s failure to contain jihadist violence, which had been intensifying despite years of French military support. However, under Traore’s leadership, the violence has only worsened. While France initially helped by launching military operations, anti-French sentiment grew over time. By 2014, France’s efforts had expanded, but they were still insufficient to stop the growing jihadist threat.
Since the massacre, Traore has made only one public appearance. The French assessment questions whether he is mentally fit to remain in office. “We see there all the powerlessness of the authorities to provide a serious and credible response to the terrorist threat,” the report states.
Meanwhile, Russian mercenaries, who were deployed to Burkina Faso nearly a year ago, have failed to bring stability. According to the French report, many of these mercenaries are being reassigned to Russia to assist in the war against Ukraine. There is also speculation that less capable Russian forces may replace them in Burkina Faso.
As the violence spreads, survivors of the Barsalogho attack accuse the army of abandoning them during the assault. The French report notes that the Burkina Faso military has also been embroiled in a scandal involving alleged acts of cannibalism by its soldiers. Videos circulated online seem to show soldiers from the Rapid Intervention Battalion 15 eating parts of dead jihadists. The army has condemned the actions but is struggling with internal discipline issues.
The violence in Burkina Faso has also begun to spill over into its southern neighbor, Togo, where jihadists recently launched an attack on a Togolese army camp, killing at least 12 soldiers. The French report warns that this could be the beginning of a new jihadist insurgency in Togo.