Terrorist groups - home based:
Ansarul Islam: aim(s): to end government control in parts of the north of the country and enforce sharia in the area of the ancient Fulani Empire of Djeelgodji
area(s) of operation: targets Burkinabe security forces and civilians primarily in the country's northern Sahel Region (along the border with Mali) (2019)
Islamic State of Iraq and ash-sham networks in the Greater Sahara (ISGS): aim(s): replace regional governments with an Islamic state
area(s) of operation: mostly concentrated in the Mali-Burkina Faso-Niger tri-border region; targets primarily security forces
(2019)

Terrorist groups - foreign based:
al-Mulathamun Battalion: aim(s): replace several African governments, including Burkina Faso's government, with an Islamic state
area(s) of operation: engages in kidnappings for ransom and violent activities across the country, including in the capital Ouagadougou

(2018)
al-Qa'ida-affiliated Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM): aim(s): establish an Islamic state centered in Mali
area(s) of operation: primarily based in northern and central Mali; targets Western and local interests in West Africa and Sahel; has claimed responsibility for attacks in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso
note: JNIM is an umbrella coalition of al-Qaeda-aligned groups, including Ansar al-Dine, al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb, al-Mouabitoun, and the Macina Liberation Front; it conducts attacks, assassinations, and improvised explosive device (IED) attacks on UN, French, and local security forces (2019)