These civil auxilions are notably supposed to protect the populations in the event of attack by jihadist groups, who control around 40 % of Burkinabé territory.
Le Monde
Burkina Faso launched this week the recruitment of 50,000 volunteers for the defense of the fatherland (VDP). These civilians will “strengthen the ranks of the army as part of the fight against terrorism”, the authorities announced on Tuesday 25 October.
“A recruitment is launched by 35,000 communal VDPs, or 100 VDP per municipality,” said in a statement the commander of the watch and patriotic defense brigade (BVDP), Colonel Boukaré Zoungrana, named on Tuesday Evening Minister of Territorial Administration, Decentralization and Security. This local recruitment is added to that of Monday, where the BVDP had announced its desire to build a force of 15,000 VDP “which can be deployed throughout the national territory”.
“The mission devolved to these municipal VDPs is to protect, alongside the defense and security forces, the populations and the goods of their municipalities of origin”, faced with jihadist attacks, specifies the press release.
Fourteen days training
The status of these auxilions has been defined by law since January 21, 2020 as “a person of Burkinabé nationality, auxiliary of the defense and security forces (FDS), voluntarily serving the security interests of his village or its sector of residence “.
They receive civic and military training of fourteen days before being armed and equipped with communication means. These volunteers pay a heavy price in the jihadist attacks which regularly strike Burkina Faso, especially in the North and the East. No data is to date available on their exact number, even if the initial objective was to recruit 13,000 people.
These massive enrollments are added to an exceptional recruitment campaign of 3,000 soldiers to strengthen the ranks of the army in the fight against jihadists.
The anti-terrorist fight is displayed as a priority by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who came to power after a coup led on September 30.
Monday, at least ten soldiers were killed and fifty wounded in a “terrorist attack” in Djibo, a city under a jihadist blockade for three months, in northern Burkina. The jihadist groups control approximately 40 % of the Burkinabé territory.