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 46 kilometres (29 mi) southeast of Dédougou.[1]
As of the 1996 census, the population of Yankasso was 2,012.[2]
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.[3]
On 21 December 1915 a French column left Dédougou led by commandant Simonin.[4]
Yankasso was then a large Marka village on the route leading south to Bouna.[5]
Simonin suffered a serious check at Yankasso on 23 December.[4]
Brévié was present at the battle.[3]
The defeat was a political disaster for the colonial forces, since it showed they were not invincible.[5]
Within a few days the revolt had spread to the whole of the Volta bend.[6]
On 2 March 1916 the French returned and destroyed the village.[1]
Most of Burkina Faso was at peace by the end of July 1916.[3]
