At least 30 people have been reported to be killed in Burkina Faso in the village of Kodyel (east of the country, close to the border with Niger), following deadly attacks from non-identified gunmen. According to local sources the villagers had warned authorities about presence of terrorists in their vicinity on day before the attacks. On May 3, 2021 and early in the morning, the gunmen surrounded the village and heavily targeted the civilians. This raid is said to be the deadliest since 2015. The country has been facing a rise of terrorist attacks targeting civilians in the last days (with notably another attack in the village of Tin Akoff on May 7, 2021). In many situations, the grouping and movements of terrorists, often referred to as "hommes armés non-identifiés (HANI)", were signaled by the population, in vain, before the incoming deadly attacks. Local medias have been rising the question if Burkina Faso was losing control of the east of the country. On May 10, 2021 the government announced that it has killed around 20 terrorists in an operation launched since May 5, 2021 (operation Houné). Lately, Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire agreed on increasing military cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

The country faces increasing insecurity and terrorism risks, as attacks and kidnappings have been increasing, notably putting the mining sector in jeopardy and harnessing the economy of the country. The situation in Burkina Faso echoes the worsening violence in the Sahel region, U.N. agencies reporting it as one of the world's most acute humanitarian crisis.