FACTSHEET

ATTACKS IN BURKINA FASO

UNITED STATES COMMISSION on

INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

732 N. Capitol Street, NW, Suite #A714

Washington, DC 20401

202-523-3240

October 2020

By Madeline Vellturo, Policy Analyst

Attacks on Houses of Worship and Religious Leaders in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso was long viewed as a bastion of religious tolerance and interfaith 

harmony in west Africa. However, in recent years, religious freedom conditions in 

Burkina Faso have deteriorated, with the country facing interrelated security and 

humanitarian crises. Attacks on both Muslim and Christian houses of worship and 

religious leaders have spiked as jihadist and other militia groups expand their area 

of influence throughout the country. The government is struggling to rein in the 

violence, and poor performance and misconduct by government affiliated forces are 

exacerbating the situation.

Background

Burkina Faso is a landlocked west African nation roughly the size of the state of 

Colorado. The country is home to nearly 20 million people: approximately 61 percent 

are Muslim, 23 percent are Christian, 15 percent maintain indigenous beliefs, and less 

than one percent is atheist or practices other religions.

A former French colony, Burkina Faso achieved independence in 1960. Following 

decades of military coups, Blaise Compaoré ascended to the Presidency in 1987 and 

remained in power for 27 years. In October 2014, President Compaoré’s regime was 

toppled by widespread civil unrest as he attempted to extend his tenure. Civil society 

groups played a key role in establishing a transitional government to govern the 

country until national elections could be held the following year. Following a failed 

military coup attempt against the transitional government, elections took place in 

November 2015 and Roch Marc Christian Kaboré became the first non-incumbent

elected in the country’s history. 

Despite its demographic diversity and its political and development challenges, 

Burkina Faso has long been lauded for its religious tolerance and social harmony. 

The country is secular, in accordance with the constitution, which along with other 

laws protects the right of individuals to practice the religion of their choice and 

change their religion if they desire. In the past, the Burkinabe government has made 

deliberate efforts to demonstrate equity in its treatment of religious groups, including 

by allocating an equal amount of funding each to Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, and 

traditional animistic communities. Both government officials and religious leaders often 

encourage religious tolerance and praise the country’s history of interfaith harmony in 

public statements and speeches.

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Tony Perkins

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Anurima Bhargava

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Gary Bauer

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Frederick A. Davie

Nadine Maenza

Johnnie Moore

Nury Turkel

Erin D. Singshinsuk

Executive Director

USCIRF’s Mission

To advance international 

freedom of religion or 

belief, by independently 

assessing and unflinchingly 

confronting threats to this 

fundamental right.
USCIRF Legislation Factsheet: RELIGIOUS ATTACKS IN BURKINA FASO: October 2020 2

Security and Humanitarian Crises

In recent years, Burkina Faso has found itself at the 

epicenter of several interrelated and rapidly evolving 

crises that are engulfing much of West Africa. These 

compounded security and humanitarian crises are 

testing the limits of Burkinabe religious tolerance and 

intercultural harmony as conflicts over land, jobs, and 

scarce resources have begun to erode social cohesion and 

overwhelm existing mechanisms for conflict resolution. 

Armed actors and violent opportunists, including Islamic 

State and al Qaeda affiliated actors, have been stoking 

conflict between religious groups for personal gain.

Following the French defeat of insurgents and jihadists 

in northern Mali in 2012 and 2013, many jihadists fled to 

the border region of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, where 

they regrouped. Since 2016, both al-Qaeda and Islamic 

State affiliates have expanded their reach deep into the 

Burkinabe territory, aggravating other local tensions and 

triggering a security crisis. 

Violent events in Burkina Faso have increased over 

1,000 percent since 2016. In 2016, the Armed Conflict 

Location and Event Database (ACLED) reported 54 

violent incidents in Burkina Faso. In 2019, ACLED 

reported 641 violent incidents. A third of Burkina Faso is 

now a conflict zone, with abuses and attacks on civilians 

being perpetrated by a complex array of armed actors, 

including Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), 

Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin’ (JNIM), Ansarul 

Islam, national security forces, and an intricate web of 

local militias and self-defense groups.

This rampant insecurity, combined with underdevelopment 

and widespread poverty, has led to a dire humanitarian 

situation. The number of people needing life-saving 

assistance doubled over the course of 2019 to over two 

million people. Since the start of 2019, the country has seen 

over a 900 percent increase in the number of people who 

have fled their homes—from 87,000 to more than 920,000 

people. The United Nations assessed that Burkina Faso is 

the world’s fastest growing displacement crisis.

Insecurity and displacement have also disrupted 

agricultural activities and market chains, triggering 

“catastrophic” levels of food insecurity, leaving more than 

3.2 million people in need of immediate food assistance. 

Humanitarian actors were caught unprepared by the speed 

and scope of the humanitarian crisis, and displacement 

and security conditions have further inhibited the 

provision of humanitarian assistance. 

The widescale desperation brought on by these crises has 

increased crime and banditry in rural areas with poor 

state presence, which in turn has increased demand for 

informal security providers. Militia groups have used this 

opportunity to entrench themselves as job creators and 

community protectors. Some of these militia groups have 

challenged existing authorities by attacking institutions 

like schools, traditional leaders, and houses of worship.

Attacks on Houses of Worship 

and Religious Leaders

Amidst this confluence of crises, religious institutions 

have been under increasing threat. Attacks on houses 

of worship and on religious leaders have increased 

in recent years, targeting both Muslim and Christian 

communities. The U.S. State Department’s International 

Religious Freedom Report for 2019 noted that both 

Muslim and Christian communities in the country had 

experienced “unprecedented levels” of violence, including 

the targeting and killing of at least 38 people based on their 

religious identity.

For example, in September 2018, jihadist-affiliated 

fighters attacked two mosques and killed two imams in 

East Region. In February 2019, an unknown attacker 

hacked worshippers in a mosque with a machete in Gaoua, 

wounding five people. In October 2019, an attack on a 

mosque in Salmossi caused the deaths of 16 civilians.

Churches also have been attacked. In May 2019, heavily 

armed individuals attacked a Catholic Mass in Toulfe, 

killing four. In August, militants attacked a Catholic and 

a Protestant church, killing three people. In December, 

14 people were killed when unidentified gunmen attacked 

a church near the border with Niger. In February, 24 more 

were killed, including a priest, when armed men attacked a 

church in Pansi.

Muslim and Christian leaders have also been under threat. 

Examples of attacks on Muslim leaders are numerous, 

including a May 2018 incident in which jihadist-affiliated 

fighters burned down a Muslim teacher’s house in CenterNorth Region. Terrorists kidnapped and beheaded the 

deputy Imam of Boukari in January 2019. In March 2019, 

terrorists killed a prominent local Muslim leader and six of 

his family members in Arbinda. In April 2019, a prominent 

religious sheikh was killed, alongside three others, in 

Hamkan village. In August 2020, the Grand Imam of 

Djibo and president of the Muslim community of Djibo, 

the capital of Soum province, was abducted off a public 

transport bus by unidentified armed men and later found 
3 USCIRF Legislation Factsheet: RELIGIOUS ATTACKS IN BURKINA FASO: October 2020

dead—he had been known for his work bringing Christian 

and Muslim communities together and was considered a 

moderate religious figure. 

Attacks on Christian leaders include the kidnapping of a 

Catholic catechist and his wife in Arbinda in May 2018 by 

individuals that identified as extremist fighters. In June 

2018, armed fighters abducted an Assembly of God pastor

and three members of his family in Soum Province. In 

April 2019, a Protestant pastor and five followers were 

killed near the border with Mali, supposedly for their 

perceived support for local militias. In February 2020, 

suspected jihadists seized seven people at the home of 

a pastor in Sebba; five bodies were found days later, 

including that of the pastor.

The perpetrators of these attacks and their motivations 

are often unclear, although several government and 

independent analysts familiar with the situation reported 

to the U.S. Commission on International Religious 

Freedom (USCIRF) that they suspected members of 

jihadist-affiliated groups like ISGS and Ansarul Islam. 

Analysts posit that the selection of religious targets, even 

by fighters with jihadist-affiliated armed groups, may not 

always be religiously motivated. Attacks against religious 

leaders and houses of worship resemble other attacks on 

local authorities and symbols of foreign influence, as these 

groups attempt to establish control over certain areas for 

political and economic gain. Other tactics in this vein have 

included attacks on local magistrates, abductions of tourists

and expats, attacks on teachers and Western-style schools, 

and efforts to coerce communities to speak Arabic instead 

of French.

However, in some instances the religious motivations 

are apparent. In June 2019, armed assailants attacked the 

village of Beni, killed those they found wearing crucifixes, 

and warned the other villagers that they would be killed 

if they did not convert to Islam. In recent months, ISGS 

fighters have attacked rival JNIM jihadists in the region 

and accused JNIM leaders of being “fake” and “bad 

Muslims.” In some areas under their jihadist control, 

militants have implemented Shari’a-style rules and forced 

civilians to dress in a particular form of Islamic garb. 

Burkinabe Government Response

In its effort to maintain order and restore security, the 

Burkinabe government has prioritized a military approach 

to the fight against jihadist groups operating in their 

territory and along the borders with Mali and Niger. 

Burkina Faso is a member of the G5 Sahel Joint Force—an 

ad hoc security initiative including Mauritania, Mali, 

Niger, and Chad—who all collaborate in addressing the 

cross-border terrorist threat in the region. The Burkinabe 

government has undertaken several counterterrorism 

operations in the north of the country and has coordinated 

with Malian and Nigerian security forces in intelligence 

sharing and cross-border operations.

Despite these efforts, the Burkinabe government is 

struggling to rein in the violence and address the jihadist 

threat. Several analysts report that Burkinabe authorities 

lack the capacity and resources to control the border 

with Mali and Niger. Villagers criticized that security 

forces present in the town of Dablo during an attack on 

a Catholic church in May 2019 waited for reinforcements

to arrive before responding. In September 2019, 

Burkinabe security forces quietly left the town of Djibo 

in Soum Province because they were too ill-equipped 

and undermanned to address the security situation. 

Internal fissures within security forces and general distrust 

between the civilian government and the military have 

also challenged the government’s efforts.

Human rights abuses committed by governmentaffiliated forces during counterterrorism operations have 

reportedly contributed to jihadists’ recruitment efforts. 

Last year, the Burkinabe National Assembly modified the 

country’s penal code to include new articles prohibiting 

the “demoralization” of Burkinabe forces. Many human 

rights organizations expressed concern regarding this 

new law, as in practice it may be used to block monitors 

from reporting on the military’s poor conduct. In July, the 

U.S. Department of State expressed its concern regarding 

the growing number of allegations of human rights 

violations and abuses perpetrated by state security forces 

in the Sahel.

In February, Burkina Faso’s parliament voted to provide 

financial support and training to local self-defense militias 

known as Kolgweogo, or “guardians of the bush.” This 

development has further raised fears among human rights 

observers regarding oversight and professionalism of 

armed actors in a country where informal and unofficial 

security actors are proliferating at an alarming rate.
UNITED STATES COMMISSION on INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

732 N. Capitol Street, NW, Suite #A714

Washington, DC 20401

202-523-3240

www.USCIRF.gov

@USCIRF

Media@USCIRF.gov

Conclusion

Burkina Faso, an impoverished and little-known west 

African nation, has suddenly found itself at the epicenter 

of several global crises, which have contributed to the 

devolution of religious freedom conditions in the country. 

The past three years have seen an apparent increase 

in attacks on houses of worship and religious leaders, 

targeting both Muslim and Christian communities. 

Despite a genuine desire by the Burkinabe government to 

protect its citizens rights to freedom of religion and belief, 

the federal government is overwhelmed by security crises. 

Recent tensions between competing jihadist groups in the 

region could further exacerbate these trends, as could 

further human rights abuses and lack of accountability for 

government-supported security forces. 

Without deliberate, coordinated, and holistic efforts 

to determine and address the drivers of religious 

freedom violations and hold the individuals and groups 

responsible, Burkinabe citizens’ rights to freedom 

of religion and belief will continue to be eroded into 

the future.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the 

U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on threats to religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, 

the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief.

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