Intelligence Brief | Togo Jihadist Crisis 2025: Burkina Faso Infiltration, Hidden Death Toll, and the Collapse of Northern Security
Ujasusi Blog’s Terrorism Monitor Desk | 22 August 2025 | 0500 BST
Executive Summary
Since January 2025, jihadist groups originating in Burkina Faso have escalated their incursions into northern Togo, killing at least 62 people—more than double the official 2023 fatality count—yet the Lomé government maintains an almost total information blackout. Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM (Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin) operating out of Burkina Faso’s Kompienga Province is the primary actor. The once-localised violence has now spread south from Kpendjal prefecture to Oti and South Oti, exposing a widening arc of ungoverned territory. A toxic combination of porous borders, chronic under-development, and a “military-only” response is fuelling jihadist recruitment and entrenchment. Without urgent regional cooperation and a pivot to governance-led counter-insurgency, Togo risks becoming the Sahel’s next major jihadist frontline.