On 16 March 2025, Burkinabe forces (coded as Army) carried out operations against an armed group (likely JNIM militants, based on location) in the town of Bourzanga (Bourzanga, Bam). Several militants were killed, and equipment seized. Unspecified fatalities coded as 3.

Supply-chain risk briefing

Summary On March 16, 2025, clashes occurred between government forces and presumed JNIM militants in Bourjanga, Bam province, northern Burkina Faso. Government forces conducted operations killing multiple militants and seizing equipment, but this is classified as a high-intensity conflict with casualties on both sides.

Supply-chain impact

• Northern Burkina Faso is a gold mining concentration area, with potential direct impact on mineral extraction and transport activities in the region
• Strategic location adjacent to the Mali border increases security risks for West African inland transport routes
• Ongoing terrorist activities disrupt agricultural production and expand instability in export routes for agricultural products such as cotton
• Potential for suspension or withdrawal of mining and agricultural investment projects in nearby areas

Watch points

• Whether the Burkina Faso government extends martial law in northern regions and trends in mining activity restrictions
• Monitoring retaliation attack patterns by jihadi groups such as JNIM and increasing trends in targeting economic facilities