In Burkina Faso, the state controls 69% of the territory, according to the country’s minister of defense

In 2022, only 40% of the territory was controlled, as declared by General Kassoum Coulibaly.

“The remaining 31% are areas where there is almost no one,” according to the official. “The conquest of the territory is a permanent action,” the minister added.

Since 2015, Burkina Faso has regularly suffered attacks by jihadist groups. These have caused more than 20,000 civilian and military deaths, according to the NGO Acled, which lists the victims of conflicts around the world.