Published: April 15, 2025
This report is intended to supplement the U.S. Department of State Burkina Faso Travel Advisory and Burkina Faso Country Information Page.
Embassy & Consulate Contact Information
U.S. Embassy Ouagadougou:
Secteur 15, Ouaga 2000, Avenue Sembène Ousmane, rue 15.873, southeast of the Monument aux Héros Nationaux, Ouagadougou.
Tel: +226-2549-5300, After-Hours Duty Officer: +226-7720-2414.
Hours of Operation: Monday-Thursday 0730-1700, and Friday 0730-1230.
OSAC Country Chapter(s)
The OSAC Country Chapter in Ouagadougou is currently inactive. Contact OSAC’s Africa team with any questions.
Burkina Faso Travel Advisory
The current U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory at the date of this report’s publication assesses that travelers should not travel to Burkina Faso due to terrorism, crime, and kidnapping. The Government of Burkina Faso has maintained a state of emergency in the entire East and Sahel regions, the provinces of Kossi and Sourou in the Boucle de Mouhoun region, the province of Kenedougou in the Hauts Bassins region, the province of Loroum in the North region, and the province of Koulpelogo in the Center-East region.
Crime
The U.S. Department of State has assessed Ouagadougou as being a CRITICAL-threat location for crime directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests.
The U.S. Department of State has included a Crime “C” Indicator on the Travel Advisory for Burkina Faso, indicating that there may be widespread violent crime and/or organized crime present in the country, and/or that local law enforcement may have limited ability to respond to serious crimes.
Street crime (especially pickpocketing, purse snatching, and backpack/cell phone theft) is pervasive in major cities. Cellular telephones, jewelry, laptops, money, and other items of value are frequent targets of thieves. Property crime and low-level street crime are prevalent in Ouagadougou, especially after dark. Several criminal groups have been implicated in crimes targeting the theft of mopeds/motorcycles, but most crimes affecting westerners are opportunist in fashion. Factors affecting crime in Ouagadougou include an underequipped police force and a large unemployed/underemployed young population. Street crime typically increases in Ouagadougou around the holidays, the bi-annual West African Movie Festival (FESPACO), and the bi-annual Regional Craft Festival (SIAO).
Although firearms are readily available, most criminals will merely brandish firearms or use easily accessible weapons of opportunity such as edged weapons and blunt objects. Criminals have been known to fire warning shots to intimidate victims into submission. Remain vigilant in crowded areas and secure your personal belongings at all times. Avoid traveling alone after dark as security risks increase at night. Be alert and aware of your surroundings, travel with a group of people if possible, and avoid poorly lighted streets and narrow alleys.
Residential thefts/home invasions occur occasionally in the Ouagadougou expatriate community centered in Ouaga 2000, Koulouba, and Zone du Bois, and in other parts of Ouagadougou. Thieves enter residences at night but generally avoid direct confrontation with the occupants. Most perpetrators exploit an unlocked door or window.
Travel in convoys when outside of major urban areas to deter roadside crime. Avoid carrying or displaying large amounts of cash while traveling. Robberies can take place anywhere along the country’s roads, but local police cite the Eastern Region beyond Koupela, toward Fada N’Gourma, as particularly dangerous due to its isolated location and intermittent cell phone coverage. According to police statistics, more than half of all reported roadside robbery incidents occurred in this area. Criminals often use spotters at highway checkpoints and bus stations to identify potential victims. While criminals mainly steal valuables, they may physically harm victims during the course of a robbery. Due to the threat of both banditry and terrorism, the U.S. Embassy does not permit its personnel to travel outside of Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso except for essential, official business and only then under security escort.
Exercise caution when traveling along the areas of the country near the Mali and Niger borders. The Government of Burkina Faso and the U.S. Embassy have limited ability to provide assistance in the Sahel Reserve region.
The U.S. government is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens throughout most of the country, as U.S. government personnel are restricted from travelling to regions outside the capital due to security concerns. The U.S. Embassy advises against U.S. government personnel conducting nighttime personal travel to the Balkuy, and Rayongo (also known as Dayongo) neighborhoods of Ouagadougou’s Arrondissement 11 (11th District) due to the a historically higher crime level.
Kidnapping Threat
The U.S. Department of State has included a Kidnapping “K” Indicator on the Travel Advisory for Burkina Faso, indicating that criminal or terrorist individuals or groups have threatened to and/or have seized or detained and threatened to kill, injure, or continue to detain individuals in order to compel a third party (including a governmental organization) to do or abstain from doing something as a condition of release.
The threat of kidnapping remains persistent throughout Burkina Faso, including in Ouagadougou, and especially in the Sahel and Est regions. Burkina Faso had its first kidnapping incident involving a Westerner in 2015. Since then, there have been multiple high-profile kidnappings of Westerners – many of which coincided with the escalation of terrorist activity throughout more areas of the country over the last year. In May 2019, a hostage-rescue operation freed four international hostages, including a U.S. citizen, that kidnappers had taken in Burkina Faso and in neighboring Benin. In 2021, two Spanish journalists and an Irish national were abducted near the Pama Reserve and were later confirmed dead by Burkina Faso authorities. In April of 2022 an armed group kidnapped an American, a long-term resident of Burkina Faso, from her home in Yalgo, approximately 200 kilometers northeast of Ouagadougou. She was released in August of 2022.
In August 2024, three journalists were abducted within a ten-day period. Months later, Burkina Faso’s Justice Minister confirmed that authorities had forcibly conscripted the journalists into military service. Several other journalists and civil society figures have been kidnapped and coerced into military conscription in recent years.
In January, four Moroccan truck drivers were kidnapped near the Burkinabe town of Dori while transporting electrical equipment from Morocco to Niger. The drivers were released in Niger unharmed a few days later.
Terrorism
The U.S. Department of State has assessed Ouagadougou as being a CRITICAL-threat location for terrorism directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests.
The U.S. Department of State has included a Terrorism “T” Indicator on the Travel Advisory for Burkina Faso, indicating that terrorist attacks have occurred and/or specific threats against civilians, groups, or other targets may exist.
Terrorists or their proxies have routinely ambushed security forces and increasingly kidnapped road travelers – particularly foreigners – along transit arteries, including those connecting major cities. There has been a significant increase in the number of roadside improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Terrorist groups continue plotting attacks in Burkina Faso and may conduct attacks anywhere – even in Ouagadougou – with little or no warning. Targets could include hotels, restaurants, police stations, customs offices, areas at or near mining sites, places of worship, military posts, and schools.
Extremist groups have conducted attacks in the northern and eastern regions of Burkina Faso, as well in the west and southwest, Boucle du Mouhoun, Central-North, and in Ouagadougou. Extremist groups have the capacity to conduct complex attacks using vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs), collective weapons, and large numbers of armed individuals. These groups are especially active in areas near the Mali and Niger borders. Terrorist groups have conducted successful attacks against high-profile targets in Ouagadougou. According to the 2024 Global Terrorism Index, Burkina Faso was ranked the world’s most terrorism-affected country for the second year in a row. In 2024, there were 111 recorded terrorist attacks. While the number of attacks was down by 57% from 2023, the attacks were more deadly with more than 1,530 people killed. Those attacks include but are not limited to armed attacks, abductions, carjacking, IEDs, VBIED, rocket attacks, and ambushes. The most affected regions are the Sahel, North, Central-North, and East regions. Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) conducted approximately 50% of these attacks. Terrorist activity has displaced large numbers of Burkinabè. According to the latest update of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Burkina Faso recorded more than 2 million internally displaced people.
Though Burkina Faso’s model of religious coexistence has been at risk due to the increase of attacks in recent years by extremist groups, religious diversity remains solid. Attackers kill imams, other clergy, and worshippers while attacking and destroying mosques and churches. Reports state that terrorist groups have also forced communities in the northern part of the country to dress in specific “Islamic” garb. Terrorists have attacked schools and killed teachers for teaching a secular curriculum and for teaching in French rather than Arabic, according to media reports. The Government of Burkina Faso announced in January 2022 that 3,280 schools had closed due to terrorism. Expanding their targeted killings, terrorist groups are increasingly attacking Christian religious leaders and worshippers and destroying churches. This sudden rise of attacks targeting churches has raised fears of religious strife in the country. However, Burkina Faso continues to demonstrate remarkable religious diversity and acceptance.
Regional terrorist groups that could conduct activities in Burkina Faso include JNIM, a coalition of four Mali-based terrorist groups that includes al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Ansar al Dine, al-Murabitoun, and the Macina Liberation Front; ISIS in the Greater Sahara (ISIS-GS); and Ansaroul Islam, which is active in northern Burkina Faso, particularly in the Sahel region.
Burkina Faso shares land borders with six neighboring countries. Land borders remain porous, especially with Mali and Niger; elements of terrorist groups may be able to move across the international borders easily and although the government demonstrates a strong political will to answer to the challenges posed by the management of its 3,615 kilometers of borders, the country’s solid work seems to be restricted by financial, material, and human limits.
The Government of Burkina Faso has maintained a state of emergency in the entire East and Sahel regions, the provinces of Kossi and Sourou in the Boucle de Mouhoun region, the province of Kenedougou in the Hauts Bassins region, the procince of Loroum in the North region, and the province of Koulpelogo in the Center-East region.
Due to credible threat information and terrorist activity, the U.S. Embassy and many other diplomatic missions restrict employee travel outside of Ouagadougou. The U.S. government is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens throughout most of the country.
Political Violence and Civil Unrest
The U.S. Department of State has assessed Ouagadougou as being a HIGH-threat location for political violence directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests.
The U.S. Department of State has not included a Civil Unrest “U” Indicator on the Travel Advisory for Burkina Faso. Civil unrest can develop quickly without prior notice, often interrupting logistics and services. Avoid demonstration activity, as even those planned to remain peaceful have the potential to turn violent.
Elections/Political Stability
Presidential and national elections took place in November 2020, resulting in no significant protests and no reports of violence. Burkina Faso experienced a peaceful transition of government by the incumbent President. Local elections scheduled for summer 2021 were rescheduled to 2022.
However, on January 24, 2022, military forces unhappy with the government’s handling of the country’s worsening security crisis overthrew the democratically elected government. The military government, known as the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration (MPSR), suspended the constitution and dissolved the government and national assembly, installing its leader as president.
Following the coup d'état, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) suspended Burkina Faso from its governing bodies and called on MPSR to release a plan for elections and a return to democratic rule. In early March 2022, MPSR announced the transitional government would remain in power before holding democratic elections in 2024. In September 2023, Burkina Faso’s leader Ibrahim Traore announced elections would be delayed until at least 2025. However, in May 2024, it was announced that Traore will remain in office until 2029 following the signing of a new charter.
Protests & Demonstrations
Demonstrations, marches, and other gatherings are common and may become violent at any time. The January 2022 coup d'état was preceded by anti-government demonstrations and followed by pro-military demonstrations in some cities. Some civil society organizations, citing poor results in Burkina Faso’s fight against terrorism, are calling on the MPSR government to revise the country’s military agreements with France and increase cooperation between Burkina Faso and Russia, China, and others. Anti-France protests were especially common in Ouagadougou throughout 2022-2023 prior to France’s withdrawal. In 2024, protest activity was low. When protests did occur, they typically had the tacit support of the Transitional Authority (TA) and remained peaceful and well-organized under police oversight. Over the past two years, most demonstrations have been less about protest and more about rallying in support of the TA and its policies.
Although most demonstrations (including those surrounding the coup d’état) conclude peacefully, there have been outbreaks of violence, looting, roadblocks, tire burning, and destruction of property during demonstrations. Instances may arise where the best and safest course of action is to shelter in place temporarily.
Anti-U.S./Anti-Western Sentiment
There is no prevailing anti-U.S. sentiment among the Burkinabè population.
Law Enforcement
Within Ouagadougou, emergency services numbers are as follows:
- Police: Dial 17 or 25-30-63-83, or 25-30-71-00 for emergencies, or 25-36-44-42 or 25-32-60-69 for administrative issues.
- Gendarmerie (Military Police): Dial 16 or 25-30-62-71 for emergencies, or 25-30-32-71 or 25-31-33-40 for administrative issues.
- Internal Security Ministry: Dial 10. This line dispatches the appropriate law enforcement entity, but English-language comprehension may be limited.
- Fire Department: Dial 18 for emergencies, or 25-30-69-47 or 25-30-69-48 for administrative issues.
Burkinabè authorities take extra measures to protect Westerners and international interests. However, local law enforcement practices, procedures, and expertise often fall below the standards expected in developed countries.
The Ministry Security (MOS) as well as the Defense Ministry are responsible for internal security. While the MOS split off from the former Ministry of Territorial Administration and Mobility (MATDS) in August 2024, it still oversees the National Police. The army, air force, and National Gendarmerie, which operate within the Defense Ministry, are responsible for external security but sometimes assist with missions related to domestic security. In 2020, the government passed legislation formalizing community-based self-defense groups by establishing the Volunteers for the Defense of the Fatherland, a civilian support corps for state counterterrorism efforts with rudimentary oversight from the Defense Ministry. Civilian authorities generally maintain effective control over security forces, but members of the security forces and community-based defense groups have committed numerous abuses.
Police Response
Local security and emergency response capabilities can be limited, especially in areas outside of Ouagadougou and other urban areas. Terrorists have ambushed security forces, including escorts and reinforcements, along major roads.
Travelers with Special Considerations
For specific traveler concerns in Burkina Faso, review the local laws and circumstances on the Department of State’s Country Information Page.
Rule of Law, Arbitrary Detention, Official Harassment, Corruption, & Transparency
The U.S. Department of State has not included a Risk of Wrongful Detention “D” Indicator on the Travel Advisory for Burkina Faso.
The law provides criminal penalties for corruption by officials, but the government does not implement the law effectively. Press reports indicate cases of misappropriation, fraud, or other offenses. The NGO National Network for Anti-Corruption cited the customs, police, and General Directorate of Land and Maritime Transport as the most corrupt entities in the government.
The State Supreme Audit Authority (ASCE-LC), the leading government anti-corruption body, publishes an annual report documenting financial irregularities, embezzlement, and improper use of public funds. In recent years, the ASCE-LC has carried out high-profile corruption investigations against government ministers. The Burkinabè government continues to grant access to non-governmental watchdog National Network to Fight against Corruption (REN-LAC). REN-LAC data shows that corruption is prevalent among civil servants in customs, police, gendarmerie, justice officials, healthcare workers, educators, tax collectors, and government procurement. REN-LAC publishes an annual report on the state of corruption in the country and has established a wide range of anti-corruption initiatives and tools.
Burkina Faso has taken steps to fully adopt regional and international anti-corruption frameworks, and the country ratified the UN Convention against Corruption in 2006. Burkina Faso is a member of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and has agreed to enforce a regional law against money laundering and has issued a national law against money laundering and financial crimes.
Cybersecurity
There are no cybersecurity concerns specific to Burkina Faso.
Import/Export Restrictions
Burkina Faso has removed most import/export restrictions and streamlined taxation and other administrative procedures. Restrictions remain on the importation of drugs, asbestos, and other products considered dangerous to public health and security. Burkina Faso requires travelers to register all satellite phones. A list that consolidates eight export screening lists of the Departments of Commerce, State, and the Treasury as an aid to industry in conducting electronic screens of potential parties to regulated transactions is available.
A country-specific listing of items/goods prohibited from being exported to the country or that are otherwise restricted is available from the U.S. International Trade Agency website.
Additional resources and reports can be found in the OSAC Traveler Toolkit.
