At least 14 soldiers have been confirmed dead following a jihadist assault on a military base in northern Burkina Faso, according to security sources who spoke to AFP on Tuesday.
The attack occurred on Saturday in Bagade and was later claimed by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), an affiliate of Al-Qaeda operating in the Sahel region.
The country, governed by a military junta since a 2022 coup, has faced persistent insurgent violence for over a decade.
Armed groups linked to both Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have carried out repeated attacks, particularly in northern areas. After a period of relative calm, recent weeks have seen a resurgence in violence.
One security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, reported a “provisional toll” of “14 soldiers killed and many others missing” following the incident.
“Every effort has been made to ‘neutralise’ the individuals who carried out the attack,” another security official said, also speaking anonymously.
“Many of them were killed during the counterattack.”
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Further reports from WAMAPS, a network of journalists covering Sahel security issues, suggested the death toll could be higher.
The group indicated that “nearly 20” soldiers of and civilian auxiliaries—known as Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDPs)—may have been killed.
It said JNIM had released “a shocking video showing around 15 dead soldiers, some of whom had been burned alive”.
The VDPs are civilian volunteers who assist the military in its fight against extremist groups.
Earlier in February, JNIM also claimed responsibility for multiple attacks targeting both soldiers and VDPs. According to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, more than 130 people were killed within roughly 10 days during that period.
Authorities in the capital, Ouagadougou, have in recent times limited public reporting on such attacks, while maintaining that the military is making progress in reclaiming territory from insurgents.
Data from the Global Terrorism Index highlights the severity of the crisis, noting that the Sahel—particularly Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali—accounted for nearly half of global deaths linked to violent extremism in 2025.
Meanwhile, the United Nations warned in November that the withdrawal of the three junta-led nations from the Economic Community of West African States has weakened regional cooperation, making it harder to coordinate efforts against the growing extremist threat across the Sahel.