Burkina Faso’s Struggle Against Al-Qaeda
Les Champs Élysées, meaning “heaven on earth”, is the nickname given to a road that goes through Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, a location for foreigners and local politicians to relieve stress by overlooking the country’s most developed and beautiful area. But on the evening of January 15, this peaceful street was charred and littered with shell casings. Terrorists had launched a horrific attack on the Splendid Hotel, a favorite among travelers and diplomats, taking 260 people hostage inside. The horrific fifteen-hour siege left 28 dead and 56 wounded. The attack was blamed on the local Al-Qaeda affiliate, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which took credit for the killings. Survivors described the attack as well-planned and nefarious: the assailants disguised themselves as hotel patrons, apathetically killing any who appeared to be alive. Burkina Faso had escaped Islamic extremism for years, and appeared to be on a stable path. A country with a history of corrupt elections, it held its first open election, which many observers saw as a potential turning point, on November 29, 2015. The country seemed set for a new period of peace and stability, only to become the victim of horrific terrorism six weeks later.
Burkina Faso is a small landlocked country in West Africa with a population of just over 17.59 million. The small country has had a clamorous past, dealing with numerous coups and power-hungry politicians. Following the country’s first uncorrupt elections on November 29, 2015 the newly elected president, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, was sworn into office. Within only three weeks, however, President Kaboré had to deal with the carnage left in the wake of the siege on Splendid Hotel and AQIM’s resurgence in the area.
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is the reincarnated form of a Salafi-jihadist militant group that has operated in the Sahara and Sahel since 1998. It is part of the conglomerate of Al-Qaeda but distinct in the sense that AQIM has the specific aim of overthrowing the Algerian government and instituting a local Islamic state, whereas Al-Qaeda seeks to establish Islamic law throughout the world. However, in an effort to establish regional dominance and an international reputation, it has broadened its mission to include attacks on European and American targets. The group made international headlines again following the Splendid Hotel attack by taking an Australian couple hostage on January 15. The reason behind these actions is to gather funds—to date, AQIM has raised more than $50 million from kidnappings alone.
Burkina Faso has had interactions with AQIM for years, but only on a minimal level, and until recently the terrorist group had not directly attacked the country. AQIM has had bases and camps in northern Burkina Faso, but kept relatively quiet. AQIM was also known to traffic arms, vehicles, and narcotics across the border to its main areas of operation, Algeria and Mali. AQIM’s most recent plot, which nearly succeeded, was the attempted coup d’état in the Malian capital Bamako. The main tactics AQIM uses are guerrilla-style raids and suicide bombings targeting military and governmental parties. But before the Splendid Hotel siege the group had never used these tactics in Burkina Faso.
The fifteen-hour siege in Ouagadougou was a way for AQIM to reestablish itself as the main jihadist group in the region and entangle Burkina Faso in the global war on terrorism. The jihadist group released a statement calling the attack a “new message from the heroic champions of Islam, with their blood and their bodies, to the slaves of the cross, the occupiers of our homes, the looters of our wealth, and who would undermine our security.” What does this mean for Burkina Faso and the future intentions of AQIM?
AQIM’s main objectives in the region are to rid North Africa of Western influence and institute sharia law and to alert rival jihadist groups of their presence. The group's ideological values are a blend of Salafi-jihadist doctrines influenced by early Islamic conquests of the Maghreb and Iberian Peninsula. With ISIL garnering the most international attention in both the media and the public eye, and receiving the most recruits, AQIM has begun alerting potential jihadists that it is resurgent and looking for recruits. These attacks show that AQIM is a force to be reckoned with. Burkina Faso will likely be targeted again because of its infant democracy, an aspect easily exploitable by lack of stability in government.
Ultimately, the attacks of AQIM hinder public support for the new government because the attacks eroded public confidence in the state. Complaints and concerns were voiced after the attacks on the Splendid Hotel because government authorities waited eight hours before intervening in the siege. President Kaboré, upon learning of the attack, asked the French ambassador for help, knowing that his own forces could not handle the siege alone. The Burkinabes’ ability to trust in their new government will be tested as AQIM continues to try and assert its dominance in the this region.
Burkina Faso has tried to combat terrorism by forming a coalition with the neighboring country of Mali in hopes of countering AQIM. The prime ministers of the two countries met on January 17 to discuss the recent attacks in both countries. Mali experienced an attack on the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako about two weeks prior to the attack on the Splendid Hotel. The two countries are sharing information on the threat of Islamic militants and creating joint military patrols. Mali has had a long past with AQIM, but with Burkina Faso now experiencing attacks, the two are worried Burkina Faso could become a transit point for militants. Paul Kaba Theiba, Burkina Faso’s prime minister, stated, “There is a very strong political will on the part of the two states to combine our efforts to fight terrorism.”
However, a coalition with Mali will only do so much. Mali is a weak country and a frequent target of AQIM planning. The Islamic militants recently attacked another upscale hotel, the Radisson Blu, in Bamako, demonstrating both countries’ weakness in fighting the group. Burkina Faso is on another tumultuous road if it continues to prioritize economic growth over combating terrorist threats, as it has done in the past. The state is a developing country, recently freed from oppression. However, as Burkina Faso works to build new democratic institutions, it is imperative that the government recognize the threat Islamic militant groups can pose. If AQIM is to be eradicated from Burkina Faso, President Kaboré must create coalitions with more powerful neighbors like Nigeria, in addition to those that are weaker, such as Mali. The fate of Burkina Faso also depends on the actions of the world. The Western world must stand with Burkina Faso, as its democratic institutions are young and unstable. With a change of ideals and help from stronger countries, this developing state can break free from its past and move towards a more peaceful future.
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