On 19 March 2025, the Burkinabe army and volunteer fighters (VDP) attacked civilians from Fulani and Gourmatche community in the village of Toumbenga (Gayeri, Komandjari). About 20 civilians were killed.

Supply-chain Risk Briefing

1) Summary On March 19, 2025, government forces and militias attacked Fulani and Gourmantché civilians in Toumbenga village in the Gayéri area of Komondjari Province, eastern Burkina Faso, killing approximately 20 people. This represents a high-risk incident demonstrating the escalation of ongoing inter-ethnic conflicts and government military operations targeting civilians in the Sahel region.

2) Supply-chain impact

• Agricultural production disruption: The eastern region is a major cotton and grain production area for Burkina Faso, with civilian attacks causing rural population displacement expected to negatively impact the 2025 crop growing season
• Increased overland transport risks: Security instability on the east-west cross-country road network between Gayéri-Fada-Niamey raises concerns about logistics flow disruptions to neighboring Niger and Togo
• Reduced mineral extraction activities: Small-scale gold mining operations in the eastern region face increased risk of suspension due to security deterioration affecting related equipment and fuel supply chains
• Expanding humanitarian crisis: Rising displaced populations increase regional demand for food and medical supplies, but access constraints intensify supply-chain pressures

3) Watch points

• Whether additional military operations will be deployed in Komondjari Province and neighboring Gourma Province, and trends in expanding civilian casualty scales
• Tracking traffic restrictions on major eastern roads (N4, N18) and duration of commercial transport suspensions
• Potential for increased refugee influx to neighboring countries (Niger, Togo, Ghana) and resulting formation of regional logistics bypass routes