Between 01-26 February 2023, at least 107 people were reportedly killed in 15 attacks in Burkina Faso. While Islamic State in Greater Sahara (ISGS) and Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) are suspected for a bulk of the attacks, there were a couple attacks that were not claimed by nor could be exclusively attributed to either JNIM or ISGS.
It should be noted that the actual number of dead is likely much higher than the 107 reported. The poor telecommunications infrastructure is likely causing difficulty in getting information out of the country combined with the fact that whole communities are often slaughtered in the sporadic armed assaults plaguing the country, meaning that there is no one left to report the incidents.
The most alarming attack was one that took place on 01 February 2023 in Piega, Sakoani and Kankangou, Est Region by the Burkinabe Army, in which 25 civilians were killed. Rumors persist of Russia's PMC Wagner group operating in the country after Ghana accused Burkina of giving Wagner a mine as payment for their services back in December 2022.
Wagner is known to commit war crimes targeting civilians in neighboring Mali. They purportedly work with the government in CTOs, but they are actively involved in the kidnapping and killing of innocent civilians. The locals in Mali have a hatred of Wagner, which is why they often support JNIM and ISGS killing Wagner forces. Wagner forces are also known for in-fighting with Malian forces over the smallest infractions, the latest being the deaths of soldiers over a cell phone dispute.
Despite a current love and admiration for Russia from Russian propaganda in the region, TRAC posits the same situation will eventually unfold in Burkina Faso, particularly due to the cultural and historical differences between Russian and Burkinabe soldiers, as well as the drastic wage differences causing local soldiers to resent Wagner fighters in Africa for making a reported $10k USD monthly, while Burkinabe soldiers earn roughly $460 USD.