Nord Region

Nord Region centered on Ouahigouya has experienced severe security deterioration as jihadist groups expanded from the Sahel and Mali borders. The region historically served as granary for Ouagadougou, its sorghum and millet production feeding the capital. This agricultural function has contracted as violence made farming impossible across expanding territories, transforming productive zones into depopulated conflict areas.

Livestock herding, particularly cattle for export, historically provided income that complemented crop agriculture. These activities now operate under threat, with herders forced to choose between abandoning animals and risking encounters with armed groups. The traditional symbiosis between farmers and herders—crop residues fed animals; manure fertilized fields—has broken down as both groups face displacement.

Nord Region exemplifies the intermediate state of crisis: not yet fully collapsed like Est or Sahel regions, but clearly deteriorating from the stable agricultural economy of a decade ago. Ouahigouya remains under government control, but its hinterland is contested. The region's trajectory depends on whether security operations can push back jihadist control or whether the violence continues expanding toward remaining population centers.