Mali | Rethinking Francophone Africa

At least 15 people have been killed and two seriously injured in an attack on a mosque in northern Burkina Faso.

Gunmen entered the Grand Mosque in the village of Salmossi on Friday evening as those inside were praying.

The attack prompted many locals to flee the village which is close to the Malian border.

Hundreds of people have been killed in the country over the past few years, mostly by jihadist groups.

One resident from the nearby town of Gorom-Gorom told AFP news agency: “Since this morning, people have started to flee the area.”

He added that there was a “climate of panic despite military reinforcements” put in place following the attack.

No group has admitted carrying out the attack.

Read more on BBC Africa

Northwestern Sahel represents one of the most unstable areas in sub-Saharan Africa. Seven years after the outbreak of the conflict in Mali, violent extremism has spread across the region, together with community conflicts over the access to natural resources and inter-ethnic violence. Trans-border activities of non-state armed actors – insurgents, jihadist groups and ethnic-based militias – as well as illicit trafficking networks feed the regional insecurity. These dynamics have boosted military and political intervention of Western actors and the development of multilateral initiatives across Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad. What are the main drivers of the instability affecting the Sahelian states? To what extent is the current security situation in the Sahel deteriorating? And what are the challenges ahead for states and international actors?