Written by: Qusay Ahmed

Authorities in Burkina Faso have imposed tight security measures in the capital Ouagadougou and in several other areas of the country, following coordinated attacks in neighboring and allied Mali, security sources told AFP.

Security developments in Burkina Faso due to the conflict in Mali

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Security in Burkina Faso announced the launch of a large-scale security operation aimed at strengthening security throughout the country, calling on citizens to be vigilant and report any suspicious behavior, especially near sensitive installations such as military barracks, airports, administrative buildings, and other facilities of national importance.

A police source, who asked not to be identified, said a major security operation had been deployed in Ouagadougou and other parts of the country, noting that security units had been stationed at strategic intersections within the capital.

A second security source added that these units will also be responsible for collecting field intelligence related to criminal and terrorist activities, as part of strengthening security monitoring and preemptive efforts during the current phase.

These measures come in the wake of unprecedented attacks carried out by armed Tuareg groups and militants linked to jihadist organizations in Mali, a country that shares the Sahel region with Burkina Faso and Niger and has also been under military rule since several coups in recent years.

For nearly a decade, the three countries in the Sahel region of Africa have faced a continuous escalation in armed attacks carried out by groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS, leading to a deterioration in security conditions and an expansion of threats to include both civilian and military areas.

In a related context, a military source in Burkina Faso said that the army is on high alert, adding: “We are at war, and vigilance and caution remain the basic rule at this stage, even if developments in Mali call for stricter measures.” .

For its part, the authorities in Niger, which is also ruled by the military council, announced the cancellation of the traditional May Day celebrations for security reasons.

In neighboring Ivory Coast to the south, the government has confirmed that its borders remain secure, but at the same time it anticipates the possibility of waves of refugees flowing in as a result of the recent security escalation in Mali, reflecting regional concerns about the widening scope of instability in the Sahel region.