BURKINA FASO
BURKINA FASO – The country offers up to €275,000 for actively wanted individuals
The security services of Burkina Faso, plagued by recurrent jihadi violence, published on Thursday, June 8, 2023 a list of 20 «actively wanted terrorists», offering bonuses for their arrest or «neutralization» ranging from 150,000 to 275,000 euros. The individuals whose portraits have been broadcast on local media are “actively sought out for participation or complicity in the planning or conduct of terrorist acts.” ‘If you provide information that would allow the arrest or incapacitation of one of these individuals, you will receive the amount indicated on the photo of the person concerned,’ says a message from the Ministry of Security, published with the portraits.
At the top of the list are Sidibé Dramane alias Hamza and Diallo Moussa alias Abou Ganiou, aged 45 and 40 respectively. The Burkinabe authorities offer 180 million CFA francs (about 275,000 euros) for the capture of each of them. «Hamza» is a close friend of Malian Amadou Kufa, an important leader of the Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (Jnim in Arabic), the main coalition affiliated with al-Qaeda in the Sahel. The list also includes leaders of katiba (combat unit of jihadist groups) including Dicko Hamadoun alias Suu-ka Maldê and Bolly Oumarou alias Oumi whose heads are priced for 175 million FCFA (265.00 euros) each. The wanted persons are all Burkinabè, mostly born in the northern region, with the exception of Sita Housseini alias Lookmann, a 33-year-old Nigerian.
Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been caught in a spiral of jihadi violence that had emerged in Mali and Niger a few years earlier and spread beyond their borders. More than 10,000 civilians and soldiers have been killed in the past seven years, according to NGOs, and more than two million internally displaced persons. According to the government, the army controls 65% of the national territory. The wanted persons are all Burkinabè, mostly born in the northern region, with the exception of Sita Housseini alias Lookmann, a 33-year-old Nigerian.
Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been caught in a spiral of jihadi violence that had emerged in Mali and Niger a few years earlier and spread beyond their borders. More than 10,000 civilians and soldiers have been killed in the past seven years, according to NGOs, and more than two million internally displaced persons. According to the government, the army controls 65% of the national territory. Burkina has been ruled since last September by a military junta led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who came to power after a coup, the second in eight months.
The Senegalese Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko made his first official visit to Burkina Faso on Friday, May 16, 2025. During this visit, he reaffirmed to Captain Ibrahim Traoré the willingness of Senegal to provide its support in the face of the terrorist threat in the Sahel.
On an official visit to Ouagadougou, Ousmane Sonko, Prime Minister of Senegal, was received in audience by the President of the Transition of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré. Accompanied by three members of his government—Yassine Fall, Minister of Foreign Affairs and African Integration; Birame Diop, Minister of the Armed Forces; and Khady Diène Gaye, Minister of Sport — The head of the Senegalese government engaged in more diplomatic exchanges at the summit.
This first visit to Burkina Faso takes place against a background of high security tensions in the region. At the end of his meeting with President Traoré, Ousmane Sonko wished to express “the solidarity of the Senegalese people towards the people of Burkina Faso in the face of this test imposed on them, which they did not choose”. In addition, he provided “absolute support” to the transitional authorities and affirmed Senegal’s readiness to consider “any possibility of collaboration and support” in the face of the terrorist threat. He also stressed the need for a united and structured response, because, he said: “None of our countries can escape this gangrene”.
Ousmane Sonko, in his statements, calls for a collective approach to security in West Africa. He also said: “It is illusory to believe that the security threat will stop at the borders of Burkina Faso, Mali or Niger. It is a struggle of all West Africa”.
Ousmane Sonko not only spoke to Ouagadougou, but also to Bamako and Niamey.
Apart from the diplomatic issues, the visit of the Senegalese Prime Minister also has a historical dimension. Indeed, on Saturday, May 17, 2025, he took part in the inauguration of the Thomas Sankara Mausoleum, an emblematic figure of Pan-Africanism and its 12 companions in Ouagadougou. For the Senegalese Prime Minister, Thomas Sanka who is one of his master thinkers “has been illuminating all the pan-Africanist and sovereignist struggles on the continent for a few decades”. He also planned to meet with the Senegalese community living in Burkina Faso.
BURKINA FASO
BURKINA FASO – Draft revision of the constitution: The ESC and the Ombudsman of Faso removed, French will no longer be the official language
The adoption of a bill revising the Constitution, this is the main information from the Council of Ministers. As implications included in this bill, the Minister of Justice, Rodrigue Bayala, has indicated that French will become a working language and national languages will become official languages.
Institutions such as the Ombudsman of Faso and the Economic and Social Council (ESC) will also be abolished. Their duties and functions will be entrusted to an institution called the “Conseil national des communautés”. According to the minister in charge of justice, this new institution will be composed of religious leaders, customary and grassroots communities.
The transformation of the National Intelligence Agency into the National Security Council, a body that will be constitutionalized and the abolition of the High Court of Justice are also reforms contained in the draft text.
The city of Djibo, located in the Sahel region, was the subject of a terrorist attack in the afternoon of Sunday, November 26, 2023. Numerous assailants arrived by motorcycle and car stormed the camp of the group of anti-terrorist forces and several strategic sites of the city. For more than two hours, they shot at the people, burned and looted everything they could. For the moment, no official communication on the outcome of this attack.
According to the news agency of Burkina it is «nearly 3,000 terrorists» who attacked the city of Djibo. Witnesses on the spot explain that the attackers came in large numbers and attacked the strategic points of the city, including the camp of the military detachment.
“The fighting was particularly violent at the military camp,” Burkina Faso’s news agency said. For several hours, the attackers occupied it just like the rest of the city. A security source reveals that “soldiers fell, all collective weapons, all ammunition and armoured vehicles carried away.”
A counter-offensive was carried out and «more than 400 terrorists» killed, says the Burkina news agency. A figure that cannot be independently verified. In addition, the agency does not mention possible losses and material damage, on the side of the Burkinabe forces.
For more than two years, the city of Djibo has been under the blockade of armed terrorist groups. The inhabitants are supplied by a WFP airlift or by the rare convoys escorted by the army of Burkina Faso. These convoys are regularly attacked by armed terrorist groups.
