The Burkinabe justice system has sentenced six individuals for their involvement in the coordinated attacks of March 2, 2018, against the French General Staff and Embassy in Ouagadougou.
The attacks, claimed by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), left 16 people dead, including eight attackers.
The Judicial Unit Specializing in the Suppression of Acts of Terrorism announced that it has concluded its review of the cases related to the 2018 attacks and a subsequent counterterrorism operation. In these cases, three defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment, and three others received 21-year prison terms.
The dual attack on March 2, 2018, which targeted both the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the French Embassy, was officially claimed by JNIM as a response to the death of Hassan al-Ansari, also known as Mohammed Ould Nouini. Ould Nouini, the commander-in-chief of Al-Mourabitoune, a key component of JNIM, was killed during a battle with French forces in Mali on February 14, 2018. He was considered the primary instigator of major attacks in Bamako, Ouagadougou, and Grand-Bassam in 2015 and 2016.
Burkinabe security services identified Ayouri al-Battar, the leader of the Al-Mourabitoune katiba, as the coordinator of the 2018 attacks. He reportedly met with the fifteen members of the commando team in the Bandiagara area before the operations.
According to a press release from Prosecutor Lafama Prosper Thiombiano, the Specialized Trial Chamber has recently completed a series of sessions. Over the course of seven sessions between January and July 2025, the chamber examined 65 cases involving 125 people. In total, 13 defendants were given life sentences, while 63 others received sentences ranging from 10 to 21 years, along with fines of between CFA 2 and 10 million.
The anti-terrorism prosecution service has filed appeals in several cases to challenge certain acquittals, noting that defendants charged with terrorism or terrorist financing will remain in detention until all appeals are exhausted. The prosecutor praised the efforts of judicial police investigators, magistrates, and the Ministry of Justice, and called for continued efforts to strengthen the judicial response to terrorism in the country.
AC/Sf/fss/abj/APA