It has been three years since Captain Ibrahim Traoré seized power in Burkina Faso, pledging to end jihadist violence that had overwhelmed his predecessors. He promised security within months. Since then, the military has received new weapons and thousands of civilian Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) have joined the fight. Yet the reality on the ground remains grim. Armed groups still hold vast swathes of territory, and violence has intensified.
Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) shows Burkina Faso recorded as many attacks in 2023 and 2024 as in earlier years, but with nearly twice the fatalities. More than 16,000 people have been killed in just two years, cementing Burkina Faso’s status as the world’s most terrorism-affected country. Alongside the security crisis, human rights groups report worsening repression ranging from arbitrary arrests to restrictions on unions, political parties, and the press.
Despite these setbacks, Traoré remains popular. His radical reforms and nationalist rhetoric resonate with many Burkinabé, who see him as a break from past governments accused of corruption and weakness. But as the country enters a fourth year under military rule, the gap between promises of peace and daily realities of violence has never been starker.
