Ouahigouya ambush

In 2021, Ansar ul Islam, a jihadist militant group active in northern Burkina Faso with ties to the Islamic State, attacked a police outpost in Inata, killing nearly 50 officers and four civilians. The attack, which was the deadliest of the jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso at that point, was a key reason for the January 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état.^[1] Following the attack, France's Operation Barkhane, which combatted jihadists in Burkina Faso, launched raids against suspected perpetrators of the Inata attack.^[2]

The battle began on February 7, when French forces launched airstrikes on Ansarul Islam positions near the town of Ouahigouya.^[3] A group of French commandos then attacked an encampment where many jihadists were located, and opened fire on it.^[4] In the attack, ten jihadists were killed, and four civilians hiding in the camp were killed in the crossfire.^[5] The French government also stated that the ten jihadists killed were involved in carrying out the November Inata attack.^[4]

Following the ambush, Burkinabe junta leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba visited Ouahigouya on a surprise visit on February 15.^[6] Later, on February 20, Damiba announced the expulsion of Barkhane troops from Burkina Faso, stating that they were looking for other partners to combat the insurgency.^[7] The Ouahigouya ambush was one of the last French operations of Operation Barkhane in Burkina Faso.^[8]