List of wars involving Burkina Faso

This is a list of wars involving Burkina Faso.

Conflict	Combatant 1	Combatant 2	Result
Upper Voltan coup d'état (1983)	Government of Upper Volta Conservative Armed Forces Faction	Left-Wing Armed Forces Faction	Revolutionary victory Thomas Sankara installed as the President of Upper Volta
Agacher Strip War (1985)	Burkina Faso	Mali	Ceasefire
1987 Burkinabé coup d'état (1987)	Government of Burkina Faso CDRs	Military Faction NPFL Supported by: Libya^[1] France Ivory Coast Mali^[2]	Coup attempt succeeds Thomas Sankara is overthrown and murdered. Blaise Compaoré is installed as the new president.
Sierra Leonean Civil War (1991–2002)	RUF AFRC West Side Boys Liberia NPFL Supported by: Libya Burkina Faso Moldova^[3]	Sierra Leone SLA^[4] CDF^[5] United Kingdom Guinea ECOMOG Forces Executive Outcomes Supported by: United States Belarus^[6] UNAMSIL	Commonwealth victory
War in the Sahel (2011-present)	Alliance of Sahel States Mali Niger Burkina Faso Benin Togo^[a] Ivory Coast^[b] Algeria^[c] Mauritania^[d] Supported by: Africa Corps (since 2021)^[11]^[e] Turkey (since 2022)^[13] France (2013-2023)^[14] United States (until 2024)^[15] MINUSMA (2013-2023)^[f] AFISMA (2012-2013) G5 Sahel (until 2023)	Al-Qaeda Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin^[16]^[17] Ansarul Islam^[18] Boko Haram^[19] Islamic State Islamic State - Sahel Province Lakurawa (2023-present)^[20] Islamic State - West Africa Province Azawad Liberation Front^[21] Nigerien anti-coup movement: Patriotic Front for Justice^[22] Free Armed Forces^[23] Former belligerents: CSP-PSD (2023-2024) Coordination of Azawad Movements ^[24] (2014-2021, 2023-2024) MNLA (2012-2024) HCUA (2013-2024) MAA (2012-2024) GATIA (al-Mahmoud faction) (2023–2024)^[25]^[g] Patriotic Liberation Front (2023-2024)^[26]	Ongoing Mali War: Tuareg rebels and allied Islamists overrun Northern Mali in 2012 until pushed back by a French intervention Islamist insurgency in Burkina Faso: Mali War spills over into Burkina Faso by 2015 as Islamists capture about 40% of Burkinabé territory Islamist insurgency in Niger Boko Haram insurgency arises and extends in Chad, Niger, and Cameroon French and American intervention on behalf of governments Al-Qaeda–Islamic State conflict and the JNIM-ISGS war Jihadist insurgency in Northern Benin Rise of the coup belt
2014 Burkinabé Uprising (2014)	Government of Burkina Faso Congress for Democracy and Progress Alliance for Democracy and Federation – African Democratic Rally	Opposition Parties People's Movement for Progress Union for Progress and Reform Union for Rebirth / Sankarist Movement Party for Development and Change National Rebirth Party Le Balai Citoyen	Revolutionary victory Suspension of constitutional amendment bill in parliament. Parliament dissolved. President Blaise Compaoré resigns and flees to Ivory Coast. Yacouba Isaac Zida becomes acting president, amid immediate dispute but eventual resolution.
Jihadist Insurgency in Burkina Faso (2015–present)	Burkina Faso National Gendarmerie Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland Koglweogos (civilian militias) France Russia Supported by: Mali^[27] United States^[28]	Ansar ul Islam Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin Ansar Dine Islamic State in the Greater Sahara Islamic State – West Africa Province	Ongoing Possible spillover in Benin

References

^ ""Kadhafi et le Burkina, une histoire d'amour et d'intérêts" d'Abdoulaye Ly". 18 October 2011.
^ "Qui a fait tuer Sankara ? Ouagadougou, l'ombre d'une main étrangère (3/6)". 9 October 2017.
^ Торговля оружием по-молдавски — Молдавские ведомости, 10 February 2009
^ Gberie, p. 102
^ Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada (3 September 1999) Sierra Leone: The Tamaboros and their role in the Sierra Leonian conflict. UNHCR. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
^ Торговля оружием и будущее Белоруссии
^ "The jihadist threat in northern Ghana and Togo" (PDF). Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. 2024. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
^ "Keeping Jihadists out of Northern Cote d'Ivoire". Crisis Group. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
^ "The fading of Algeria's star in the Sahel region". Le Monde. 14 January 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
^ "How has Mauritania managed to stave off terror attacks?". ISS. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
^ "Russia in Africa: Private Military Proxies in the Sahel". Georgetown Journal of International Affairs. 7 March 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
^ "How the Wagner Group is Aggravating the Jihadi Threat in the Sahel". CTC West Point. December 2022. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
^ "Turkey's Return to Africa". FPRI. 10 March 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
^ "How France Failed Mali: The End of Operation Barkhane". Harvard International Review. 23 January 2023. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
^ "The U.S. is in retreat in a crucial part of the world". Washington Post. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
^ "Local Drivers of Violent Extremism in Central Mali" (PDF). UNDP. 2019. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
^ "The Shifting Front of Militant Islamist Violence in the Sahel". ACSS. 7 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
^ "Ansarul Islam". ECFR. 2019. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
^ "'No room for dialogue': How abuses by Niger's foreign-funded army derail its anti-jihadist fight". The New Humanitarian. November 30, 2021.
^ "Everything We Know About Lakurawa, the New Terrorist Group in Nigeria". 9 November 2024.
^ "Can Azawad Liberation Front push Mali and Russian 'invaders' out?". The Africa Report. 5 February 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
^ "Insecurity in Niger in the wake of the junta's rise to power". IPIS. 3 December 2024. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
^ "Former Niger minister launches movement to overthrow junta". The Africa Report. 27 September 2024. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
^ "Mali's Azawad movements unite in a bid to pressure the ruling junta". Africanews. 9 February 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
^ "Tuaregs from Northern Mali call for the 'fall of the junta'". RFI. 20 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
^ "Niger rebels fighting for ousted president's release hand over weapons". VOA. 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
^ "Burkina Faso, Mali Agree Joint Force Against Jihadists". The Defense Post. 8 September 2021. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
^ "More Than 160 Killed in Deadliest Attack of Burkina Faso's War". Voice of America. 6 June 2021. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.

Notes

^ JNIM has had a small presence in northern Togo since 2021, with several attacks carried out since then.^[7]
^ Jihadist groups have little to no presence on Ivorian soil, but have occasionally launched attacks along the Burkinabe-Ivorian border since 2019. AQIM attacked Grand-Bassam in 2016 as well.^[8]
^ No jihadist groups are active on Algerian soil, although the country has been attacked several times in the early days of the Mali War by jihadist groups. Currently, diplomatic relations between the AES states and Algeria are bad due to Algeria allowing FLA rebels on their soil.^[9]
^ The Mauritanian government currently has a non-aggression pact with JNIM-aligned jihadists, and has not had an attack by jihadist groups on its soil since 2011. Small JNIM cells are present along the Malian border.^[10]
^ Previously Wagner Group, since renamed Africa Corps and absorbed by Russian government.^[12]
^ For full list of MINUSMA combatants, see here
^ Faction affiliated with the CSP-PSD

[1] ""Kadhafi et le Burkina, une histoire d'amour et d'intérêts" d'Abdoulaye Ly". 18 October 2011.

[2] "Qui a fait tuer Sankara ? Ouagadougou, l'ombre d'une main étrangère (3/6)". 9 October 2017.

[3] Торговля оружием по-молдавски — Молдавские ведомости, 10 February 2009

[Gberie1022-4] Gberie, p. 102

[5] Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada (3 September 1999) Sierra Leone: The Tamaboros and their role in the Sierra Leonian conflict. UNHCR. Retrieved 16 January 2022.

[6] Торговля оружием и будущее Белоруссии

[Togo-7] "The jihadist threat in northern Ghana and Togo" (PDF). Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. 2024. Retrieved 2025-04-30.

[CI-9] "Keeping Jihadists out of Northern Cote d'Ivoire". Crisis Group. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 2025-04-30.

[Aljazair-11] "The fading of Algeria's star in the Sahel region". Le Monde. 14 January 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-30.

[Mauritania-13] "How has Mauritania managed to stave off terror attacks?". ISS. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 2025-04-30.

[Wagner-15] "Russia in Africa: Private Military Proxies in the Sahel". Georgetown Journal of International Affairs. 7 March 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-30.

[Wagner2-16] "How the Wagner Group is Aggravating the Jihadi Threat in the Sahel". CTC West Point. December 2022. Retrieved 2025-04-30.

[Turkey-18] "Turkey's Return to Africa". FPRI. 10 March 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-30.

[France-19] "How France Failed Mali: The End of Operation Barkhane". Harvard International Review. 23 January 2023. Retrieved 2025-04-30.

[USA1-20] "The U.S. is in retreat in a crucial part of the world". Washington Post. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 2025-04-30.

[Katiba_Macina-22] "Local Drivers of Violent Extremism in Central Mali" (PDF). UNDP. 2019. Retrieved 2025-04-30.

[Hanifa-23] "The Shifting Front of Militant Islamist Violence in the Sahel". ACSS. 7 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-30.

[Ansarul-24] "Ansarul Islam". ECFR. 2019. Retrieved 2025-04-30.

[25] "'No room for dialogue': How abuses by Niger's foreign-funded army derail its anti-jihadist fight". The New Humanitarian. November 30, 2021.

[26] "Everything We Know About Lakurawa, the New Terrorist Group in Nigeria". 9 November 2024.

[FLA-27] "Can Azawad Liberation Front push Mali and Russian 'invaders' out?". The Africa Report. 5 February 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-30.

[FPJ-28] "Insecurity in Niger in the wake of the junta's rise to power". IPIS. 3 December 2024. Retrieved 2025-04-30.

[FAF-29] "Former Niger minister launches movement to overthrow junta". The Africa Report. 27 September 2024. Retrieved 2025-04-30.

[CMA-30] "Mali's Azawad movements unite in a bid to pressure the ruling junta". Africanews. 9 February 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-13.

[31] "Tuaregs from Northern Mali call for the 'fall of the junta'". RFI. 20 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.

[FLP-33] "Niger rebels fighting for ousted president's release hand over weapons". VOA. 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-30.

[34] "Burkina Faso, Mali Agree Joint Force Against Jihadists". The Defense Post. 8 September 2021. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.

[35] "More Than 160 Killed in Deadliest Attack of Burkina Faso's War". Voice of America. 6 June 2021. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.

[8] JNIM has had a small presence in northern Togo since 2021, with several attacks carried out since then.^[7]

[10] Jihadist groups have little to no presence on Ivorian soil, but have occasionally launched attacks along the Burkinabe-Ivorian border since 2019. AQIM attacked Grand-Bassam in 2016 as well.^[8]

[12] No jihadist groups are active on Algerian soil, although the country has been attacked several times in the early days of the Mali War by jihadist groups. Currently, diplomatic relations between the AES states and Algeria are bad due to Algeria allowing FLA rebels on their soil.^[9]

[14] The Mauritanian government currently has a non-aggression pact with JNIM-aligned jihadists, and has not had an attack by jihadist groups on its soil since 2011. Small JNIM cells are present along the Malian border.^[10]

[17] Previously Wagner Group, since renamed Africa Corps and absorbed by Russian government.^[12]

[21] For full list of MINUSMA combatants, see here

[32] Faction affiliated with the CSP-PSD

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Lists of wars involving African countries
Sovereign states	Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Eswatini Ethiopia Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Ivory Coast Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda São Tomé and Príncipe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa South Sudan Sudan Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe
States with limited recognition	Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic Somaliland
Dependencies and other territories	Canary Islands / Ceuta / Melilla (Spain) Madeira (Portugal) Mayotte / Réunion (France) Saint Helena / Ascension Island / Tristan da Cunha (United Kingdom)