On 18 March 2025, following a call from the citizen watch association, residents gathered and demonstrated peacefully in the town of Kongoussi (Kongoussi, Bam) to express their support for the government, and the defense and security forces. They also called on the authorities to increase the number of Rapid Intervention Battalions (BIR) in the region.

Burkina Faso Kongoussi Government Support Protest - Supply-chain Risk Briefing

Summary

On March 18, 2025, citizens in Kongoussi, Bam Province, Burkina Faso held peaceful demonstrations expressing support for the government and defense/security forces. Protesters demanded authorities expand the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR), classified as a low-grade peaceful protest with minimal immediate supply-chain disruption risk.

Supply-chain impact

• West African inland transport routes: Kongoussi is located in north-central Burkina Faso with potential indirect impact on nearby Mali-Niger connecting transport networks
• Regional agricultural logistics: The area is primarily focused on livestock and small-scale agriculture, with limited direct production disruption from peaceful protests
• Mining transport: Distance from Burkina Faso gold mining transport routes means minimal current impact on major mineral resource supply chains
• Security infrastructure strengthening demands: Demands for Rapid Intervention Battalion expansion suggest regional security instability, raising concerns about future logistics security cost increases

Watch points

• Security situation deterioration indicators: Need to track changes in regional security threat levels that prompted demands for government force expansion during peaceful protests
• Regional spread: Monitor whether similar government support protests or security strengthening demands spread to other regions of Burkina Faso