On March 31, 2024, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin attacked Burkinabe forces in Tawori, Tapoa Province, Burkina Faso. Over seventy Burkinabe soldiers were killed and thirty-two civilians were killed during the attack and the subsequent massacre.
At 5:15 pm, JNIM militants attacked the Burkinabe base in Tawori, which was manned by pro-government militiamen from the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) and Burkinabe soldiers.[3][4] Around 350 JNIM militants participated in the attack on 200 motorcycles, sparking clashes with the soldiers that lasted for an hour before the jihadists seized the camp.[3][4] JNIM militants then stayed in the village for two more hours, looting the base and civilian homes and businesses.[4] The militants also raided the Boungou gold mine located a kilometer to the north of Tawori.[3][5] JNIM militants executed civilians en masse in Tawori and a neighboring village.[5]
Burkinabe officials deployed a Bayraktar TB2 drone from Fada N'gourma to intervene, but the drone arrived too late.[3]
Aftermath
Burkinabe officials reported a death toll of sixteen Burkinabe soldiers and 23 VDP.[4] JNIM released footage of two captured Burkinabe soldiers, although the number of prisoners taken by the jihadists is unknown.[3][5] At least 32 civilians were killed in the massacre after the battle as well.[4][5]
The commander at the base in Tawori, Aboubacar Sidiki Barry, was discharged from the Burkinabe Army on April 4 for failing to call on air support in time when his base was being attacked.[6] As a result, all the weapons at the base were looted by JNIM.[7]
