Lessons From Burkina's Faso Fight Against Terrorism
Michael DeAngelo
Foreign Policy Research Institute
September 19, 2025
Jihadist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State are waging insurgencies in almost every region of Burkina Faso. They are attacking security forces and civilians, governing large swaths of territory, and threatening key roads and population centers. They see the state as corrupt, ineffective, and immoral and want to establish an Islamist state.