ABSTRACT
Burkina Faso is currently regarded as the epicentre of a regional and transnational conflict that began over ten years ago in Mali and has involved various local and foreign parties. Armed groups pursuing transnational politico-religious agendas have proliferated in recent years, benefitting from the lack of state presence along the border between Mali and Burkina Faso. A deadly January 2016 attack in the heart of Ouagadougou, claimed by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, marked the start of Burkina Faso's confrontation with violent extremist organisations (VEOs). Violence in Burkina Faso can be highly localised, but the transnational dimensions of this conflict make it complex to manage. Two successive military coups within nine months, the expansion of VEOs and a growing humanitarian crisis show the destabilising toll of the conflict in Burkina Faso over the reporting period.
