In Burkina Faso, the history of the Gaoua-Banfora axis in the hands of armed terrorist groups is increasingly becoming a thing of the past. An immersion from September 15 to 16, 2025, organized by the Ministries of Defense and Communication, provided an opportunity to assess the results of the reconquest of national territory in this area.

[Editor’s note: Due to security reasons, villages and people in this report have been given aliases.]

After years of eviction, the populations of villages in the Djôro and Tannounya regions have been able to return to their lands. Basic social services, markets, and shops have reopened.

The Commander of BIR (Rapid Intervention Battalion) 15, Captain Mathurin Momo, known as Magnan, confirms this. “Traffic is flowing smoothly today,” he assures.

Koûnadiadougou or the proof of rebirth

“Koûnadiadougou” (an assumed name, meaning “city of luck”) covers 24 villages, 15 farming hamlets, and 13 administrative villages. Life is back.

The locals share their stories. Salif (not his real name), a spare parts seller, is happy to be back in his village. “It used to be difficult. We were here before fleeing the terrorists to take refuge in Loropéni. But since we returned here over a year ago, we haven’t encountered any more problems. There’s stability, and we’re no longer fleeing,” he says.

• “Before, it was difficult,” Salif.

Alima, in her clothing store, adds: “Since our return last year, we have been able to cultivate and the harvests have been good.”

Services rise from the ashes

The primary school suffered damage, including the destruction of solar panels, store documents, whiteboards, and electrical cables from the buildings. The scars are still visible on the walls. But its doors, once closed, have reopened.

The school’s principal, Thomas (not his real name), says there were still concerns when he arrived last year. It was necessary to check the grounds before moving in. “When we arrived, attracting students, getting them back, wasn’t easy. But we held awareness meetings and general assemblies. As a result, we were able to get the students,” he said.

• The headmaster of the public primary school, Thomas (not his real name), speaks about the reopening of his establishment

Confident, he demonstrates that everyone contributed to the reconquest of the village, including himself . “I am a VDP (Volunteer for the Defense of the Fatherland) so I participated in the reconquest of the village ,” he affirms.

For his part, the director of the Koûnadiadougou CEG, Gérard (not his real name), recalls those difficult times. His school was relocated to Loropéni in 2023 before returning to its former location in 2024, after the population returned. The beginning was full of worries and the labor difficulties were enormous. “Since we started working, until today, there has been no problem with insecurity. Everything is fine. At the beginning, there were the VDPs who stayed by our side. With their presence, everything is fine,” he rejoices.

• “We got 75.54% in the BEPC, 2024-2025 session,” director of the CEG of Koûnadiadougou,

Proud of their results despite this difficult return, he congratulates his colleagues . “Last year here, we delivered a result that was truly remarkable. We got 75.54% in the BEPC, session 2024-2025,” he says.

In addition to the schools, the Koûnadiadougou CSPS, which had been closed since December 13, 2022, then ransacked and stripped of its equipment, has regained its former glory. “We were forced to start from scratch. The panels, the antennas were removed, the batteries, the paint, the documents. When we returned, it was an almost empty room ,” says the head of the Koûnadiadougou station, Salif (not his real name). Reopened in May 2024, the medical center now receives around thirty patients a day. “Since we’ve been here, we’ve been working. We don’t have any problems, we’re working, it’s fine,” he adds.

It took a lot of “gymnastics”

The people of Koûnadiadougou returned to their village on December 24, 2024. According to the village chief, with the support of BIR 15, everything went well.

“When we left Loropéni with the BIR 15, it took a lot of “gymnastics” because the team left at 8 a.m. and returned at 10 p.m. They made an effort. They detonated many, many mines so we could return to Koûnadiadougou,” explains the village chief, Adama.

Like Koûnadiadougou, Tannoûdougou (an assumed name meaning “we give thanks to God”) is a commune that had been evicted, but which is now returning to full life thanks to the hard work of the fighting forces. This commune, whose recovery was a great victory for the country, is today under the watchful eye of Second Lieutenant Gadiel and his men.

“To date, the situation is relatively calm. People are going about their business, services have resumed, as have schools and markets. So, overall, the entire population of Tannoûdougou is safe,” assures the head of this detachment.

“We are witnessing resilience”

That morning, the chief called a meeting under the palaver tree for a brief moment of discussion. “It’s been two years now since we returned to our village thanks to President Captain Ibrahim Traoré and his government. Since then, we haven’t had any problems, we live in complete safety,” said the village chief’s representative, Alidou.

• “It’s been two years now since we joined our village,” Alidou said.

On the spot, an elderly woman, whom we give the name Korotoumou, displaced in Banfora, has returned to Tannoûdougou. She is grateful to the fighting forces. “If these people weren’t there, we wouldn’t be here. They helped us resettle. It’s thanks to them that we settled. Now it’s okay, they helped us. We’re no longer afraid. We’re putting ourselves in their hands. We’re no longer afraid ,” she suggests.

• “We are no longer afraid,” Korotoumou.

In Tannoûdougou, social services are also operational. The town hall, once ransacked by terrorist groups, is functioning and has the necessary resources and manpower to deliver documents to the population. “Today, we can celebrate because, thanks to the efforts of the various stakeholders, we have been able to regain our community, and today we are home, we are proud, and we are happy,” said Boureima, one of the presidents of the Tannoûdougou special delegation.

A hundred villages resettled in the great West

Benkadidougou (an assumed name meaning “village of understanding”) is also a reclaimed and resettled village. Here, the people are fearless in the fields.

Accompanied by her daughters and daughters-in-law, Bibata (not her real name), without forgetting the difficult times of the past, grows corn, okra and beans . “With the security crisis, we took refuge in Barkadougou (not her real name which means “land of thanks”) for a short time and we returned before the start of the rainy season to cultivate,” says this woman in her sixties.

• With the security crisis, we took refuge in Barkadougou.

All this tranquility is the result of coordinated work by the various combat forces. According to Captain Djiguimdé Wend-kuuni Isaac, the Banfora area commander, corps commander of the 24th Inter-Army Regiment (RIA), commander of the sub-force group for securing the Cascades and regional coordinator of the Cascades VDP, the Tanounya region has come a long way.

“Two years ago, we weren’t sure we’d get 10 km from Banfora. But thank God, with the multiple operations that have been carried out so far, we’ve still managed to push the threat right up to the border with the neighboring country. We can say that, generally speaking, in the two provinces that make up the region, the situation is fairly stable,” he emphasizes.

To date, in the far west of Burkina Faso, more than a hundred evicted villages have been resettled and the populations now live in peace.