On September 4, 2023, clashes broke out between jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin and Burkinabe soldiers backed by pro-government VDP militiamen in the village of Koumbri,

Yatenga Province Yatenga is one of the provinces of Burkina Faso, located in the Nord Region of the country. In modern Yatenga, the most prominent city is Ouahigouya (also known as Waiguya). This city served as the capital of the kingdom of Yatenga, a powerful ki ...

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

. The battle left over fifty Burkinabe soldiers and militiamen dead and an unknown number of jihadists killed.

Background

Violence by jihadist groups increased exponentially since the

September 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état A coup d'état took place in Burkina Faso on 30 September 2022, removing Interim President Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba over his alleged inability to deal with the country's Islamist insurgency. Damiba had come to power in a coup d'état eigh ...

that overthrew putschist Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who came to power in a coup that January. Much of the violence was caused by the al-Qaeda-aligned Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin and it's affiliates in Burkina Faso and the Islamic State – Sahil Province, which have besieged towns and launched deadly attacks on Burkinabe soldiers and pro-government militiamen. The town of Koumbri was captured by jihadists in 2020. On September 2, 2023, the

Burkina Faso Armed Forces The Burkina Faso Armed Forces () are the military of Burkina Faso. The service branches of the armed forces include its Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie (Burkina Faso), National Gendarmerie and People's Militia (Burkina Faso), People's Milit ...

deployed to the commune of Koumbri with the objective of reestablishing themselves and "enabling the resettlement" of local populations which had fled the town over two years prior. When the soldiers arrived, brief clashes erupted with small pockets of jihadist resistance being crushed by the army. Once reestablished, the soldiers combed through mostly abandoned houses in Koumbri.

Battle

The 12th Infantry Commando Regiment of the Burkinabe army, based in

Ouahigouya Ouahigouya () is a city in northern Burkina Faso, situated 182 kilometres northwest of Ouagadougou. It is the capital of the Yatenga Province and one of its subdivisions the Ouahigouya Department. It is also the biggest town in the Nord Region (B ...

, was present in Koumbri during the recapture. Militiamen from the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) also supported the army. On the morning of September 4, jihadists from JNIM launched an attack on the Burkinabe soldiers in Koumbri. The soldiers were caught between "intense fighting" and "harassing fire." Burkinabe officials stated that the attack was repelled, and that aerial reinforcements helped break the attack. However,

Jeune Afrique ''Jeune Afrique'' (English: ''Young Africa'') is a French-language pan-African weekly news magazine, founded in 1960 in Tunis and subsequently published in Paris by Jeune Afrique Media Group. It is the most widely read pan-African magazine. It o ...

reported that following the attack, the jihadists remained in Koumbri without being disturbed by remaining Burkinabe soldiers. Jeune Afrique also mentioned there were no airplanes above the town, and that the only reinforcements were ambulances that arrived the next day at 10am to collect the dead and injured. The attack was claimed on September 6 by JNIM. The Burkinabe army claimed victory, but acknowledged heavy losses. On September 5, Burkinabe officials reported that 17 soldiers and 38 VDP were killed. They also mentioned that around thirty injured were evacuated. The Burkinabe government also stated that several dozen jihadists were killed or injured.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koumbri Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso September 2023 in Africa Islamic terrorism in Burkina Faso 2023 in Burkina Faso Yatenga Province Battles in 2023