Burkina Faso Attack: 200 Dead as Military Junta Struggles Against al-Qaeda-Linked Militants

An attack by the al-Qaeda linked militant group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen (JNIM) on Barsalogho village, in Burkina Faso's Sanmatenga Province on Saturday has left at least 200 dead and at least 100 more injured, according to official sources, while local sources point to at least 400 fatalities.Barsalogho is located an approximate 25 miles north of Kaya–a strategically significant town which acts as the last military bulwark against the militant group–as the capital, Ouagadougo, lies just 78 miles ahead.Military authorities in the area had allegedly forcibly tasked the village's civilians with digging a defensive trench around the community due to intelligence on an impending attack on the locality which local sources claim has been "virtually under terrorist blockade for two years.".Sources inside the community stated, "it is no longer possible to go in any direction from Barsalogho more than 3km (1.8 miles) without being killed. However, in this case, the population was forced to go 3km (1.8 miles) outside the city to dig the ditch."What You Need to KnowTaking place over seven hours, it is believed that between tens to hundreds of civilians bled to death after the initial massacre took place, with military reinforcements heading to the village on Sunday at approximately 10 a.m. and arriving at 2 p.m., nearly 24 hours after the onset of the massacre.Survivors were transported to Kaya's regional hospital to receive treatment and were visited by a government team consisting of the Minister of State, Minister of Security, the Minister of Humanitarian Action, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, and a government spokesperson.On its media channels, JNIM announced, "full control over the headquarters of the Burkinabe militias in Barsalogho this morning, praise and gratitude be to God."Notably, is the use of the term 'Burkinabe militias' to refer to the deceased civilians.Earlier this month, JNIM conducted an attack on a convoy of the Burkinabe armed forces (FDS) while traveling between Boungou and Ougarou in the country's east. The attack left at least 140 military personnel dead.In its statement on the attack, JNIM denounced the mistreatment of the civilian populous by the Burkinabe government, stating, "This blessed jihadist act comes in response to the heinous crimes committed by the ruling clique against innocent, defenseless people in retaliation for the blood of our Muslim peoples in Burkina, Mali, and Niger and in an effort to stop the campaign of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and forced displacement that our families and brothers are suffering in this region. God is Great, and Glory belongs to God.”It is clear that the militant group classifies any individual connected to Ibrahim Traore's military junta as a combatant, despite the fact that local sources pointed to the fact that "the leaders of the [military] detachment on site forced the people to participate in the work, against their will, through threats. Since the start of the work, the people were reprimanded and beaten by the FDS elements to force them to come and take part in the work."So, What Now?Taking power through a military coup in 2022, Captain Ibrahim Traore and his newly formed military government vowed to respond decisively to the terrorist threat in the nation but has since struggled to make gains at a rate inferior to his predecessors.Requesting the populous on August 8th to report on any suspicious individuals, movements, or objects, in an attempt to establish an informal civilian surveillance force, the use of civilians to dig defensive trenches highlights the extent of the FDS' manpower and resource shortages and its deadly consequences.