Yankasso Explained

Yankasso
Settlement Type:Village
Pushpin Map:Burkina Faso
Coordinates:12.2083°N -3.2005°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Burkina Faso
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Boucle du Mouhoun
Subdivision Type2:Province
Subdivision Name2:Mouhoun
Subdivision Type3:Department
Subdivision Name3:Safané
Unit Pref:Metric
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:GMT
Utc Offset:+0

Yankasso is a village in the Safané Department of Mouhoun province of Burkina Faso. It was the site of a serious defeat of the French colonial forces in December 1915.

Location

Yankasso is just north of Safané and southeast of Dédougou.As of the 1996 census, the population of Yankasso was 2,012.

Battle of 23 December 1915

In November 1915 there was a revolt in the Black Volta bend against the French.The administrator Jules Brévié arrived at the end of the month to review the situation.On 21 December 1915 a French column left Dédougou led by commandant Simonin.Yankasso was then a large Marka village on the route leading south to Bouna.Simonin suffered a serious check at Yankasso on 23 December.Brévié was present at the battle.The defeat was a political disaster for the colonial forces, since it showed they were not invincible.Within a few days the revolt had spread to the whole of the Volta bend.On 2 March 1916 the French returned and destroyed the village.Most of Burkina Faso was at peace by the end of July 1916.

Sources