Clashes between Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) and Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP) have spread beyond Burkina Faso, widening a rivalry responsible for more than 2,200 fighter deaths since 2019, ACLED says.
ACLED’s tally also includes about 320 armed confrontations since the groups’ first skirmishes in mid-2019. JNIM is an al-Qaeda affiliate; ISSP is the Islamic State’s Sahel affiliate.
Near Kacham in early September, ISSP claimed it killed more than 200 JNIM fighters and captured more than 30. ACLED has not verified those numbers. Héni Nsaibia, ACLED’s regional expert for West Africa, said, “If accurate, the reported death toll would make this the deadliest battle between the groups recorded by ACLED.” The monitor’s broader tally does not verify the Kacham claim.
Le Monde reported fighting near Ganadaouri in Oudalan province on Oct. 9.
Since April 2026, ACLED says, the conflict has also reached Tillaberi and Dosso in Niger and Kebbi state in Nigeria. The monitor says JNIM has generally focused on state forces and allied militias, while ISSP has made its struggle with JNIM a priority. ACLED assesses that ISSP has won several significant recent battles, while JNIM has strengthened its position in parts of Mali and Burkina Faso.
ACLED counted more than 30 JNIM attacks during a February offensive in Burkina Faso and reported more than 120 soldiers, forest guards and Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland fighters killed. In a Nov. 11 update, ACLED described JNIM challenging control in Centre-Est and putting pressure on Koupela and Pouytenga, commercial and transport hubs. It also reported that ISSP had threatened the Essakane Gold Mine.
ACLED said clashes could draw JNIM fighters away from operations against state forces, potentially giving Burkina Faso’s government more room to maneuver. UNICEF’s 2026 humanitarian plan identifies 4,474,321 people in need in the country, including 1,294,232 internally displaced people counted among those in need.
