Belehede massacre
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| Belehede massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso | |
| Location | Belehede, Soum Province, Burkina Faso |
| Date | June 18, 2019 3pm – 5pm |
| Deaths | 18 |
| Injured | Unknown |
| Perpetrator |  Ansarul Islam (suspected) |
| Motive | Reprisal for government presence in village |
On June 18, 2019, jihadists suspected to be from Ansarul Islam attacked the village of Belehede, Soum Province, Burkina Faso, killing 18 civilians.
Soum Province in northern Burkina Faso has been a hotbed of jihadist activity since the start of the jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso.[1] Tensions between Mossi groups and Fulani groups after the Yirgou massacre in early 2019 led to clashes between these groups in the provincial capital of Arbinda in April.[2] The tensions were stoked by the Fulani-majority jihadist group Ansarul Islam, which has a large presence in Soum.[2] On June 10, an Ansarul Islam attack killed 19 civilians in the center of Arbinda.[2]
Prior to the massacre, during "Operation Doofu", the Burkinabe military used Belehede's school as a launching pad for patrols in the area against jihadist groups. These groups later used the military presence as justification for the massacre.[3]