Burkina Faso: The army recruits 90,000 volunteers to speed up the fight against jihadists.

President Ibrahim Traoré explained his decision by his concern to curb terrorism in Burkina. In order to increase the fight, the young captain announced several measures including the recruitment of volunteers to supplement the army. The recruitment operation launched on 24 October and closed on 18 November has enabled more than 90,000 volunteers to be enrolled, according to an official communiqué from the Burkinabe army.

The campaign to recruit civilians to strengthen the army’s ranks in the fight against terrorist violence has seen a strong mobilisation of the population, eager to put an end to the insecurity that undermines Burkina. This massive support is welcomed by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Sawadogo, commander of the Brigade de veille et de défense patriotique (BVDP). “The BVDP welcomes this great mobilisation of the population and thanks them for their commitment to the service of the motherland,” he said, stressing that not all those registered are “retained for the moment”.

The idea is to deploy 15,000 civilians on the territory, “at any time in support, in case of an attack, or to participate in military operations in the national theatre”. The other 35,000 will be responsible for protecting “populations” and “property” in their villages or communes of origin, under the supervision of members of the police force, it is stated.

Some observers question this measure of engaging civilians alongside the army, and say they fear “the risk of fanning the flames of inter-community violence”.

These concerns are unfounded when one looks at the selection criteria for these volunteers.

The status of VDPs, as defined by the law since 21 January 2020, is “a person of Burkinabe nationality, auxiliary to the Defence and Security Forces (FDS), voluntarily serving the security interests of his village or sector of residence”.

This law provides for the recruitment of these auxiliaries on the approval of the villages, meeting in an assembly, and retained after a “morality survey”.

Once selected, the volunteers will have to undergo “two to four weeks” of training during which they will learn to handle a weapon and be made aware of international humanitarian law and the rules of engagement, before being provided with specific equipment, most often an AK-47 assault rifle.

“In the event of any act contrary to the code of conduct or the law, we will automatically suspend their contract and, depending on the seriousness of the act, prosecute them,” said Commander Boukaré Zoungrana, Minister of Territorial Administration, Decentralisation and Security.

The latter also announced the establishment of “monitoring and control committees” composed of village representatives, to avoid any slippage, as well as the payment of a new operation bonus of 60,000 CFA francs per person.

“It is not up to France or Wagner, but to us, Burkinabes, to defend our country for its survival,” the minister said.

This patriotic mobilisation advocated by the authorities is to be welcomed by the majority of Burkinabè and opinion leaders. When we look at the countries that have asked for the support of mercenaries and foreign soldiers on their territory, we can only congratulate Captain Traoré for this patriotic measure.

In the Central African Republic, no lines have been drawn regarding the security situation in the country since the deployment of the mercenaries of the Wagner group. Moreover, the modus operandi of this group has been denounced in several reports. Indeed, these paramilitaries are accused of human rights violations against the population, and suspected of signing agreements with armed groups instead of fighting them. These expatriates also engage in looting the country’s resources despite the

the huge budget allocated by the state for their remuneration. At the same time, the national defence forces deployed on the fronts receive a derisory salary.

The same is true in Mali where indiscretions reveal a deep division within the FAMA. This tension is due to the presence of Wagner in the country, who, as in the Central African Republic, receive exorbitant salaries, although no tangible results have been recorded since their arrival. Malian soldiers believe that the billions wasted on paying the Russians could have been put to good use.

President Ibrahim Traoré has always defended cohesion and unity within the army and at the national level and advocated the higher interest of Burkina. He cannot plunge his country into a more chaotic situation by engaging foreign soldiers, driven by the search for their personal interests, in this struggle common to all Burkinabe.

For him, only a patriotic leap forward will enable him to overcome the terrorism .

Miss OLY