Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland

Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland
Volontaires pour la défense de la patrie
LeadersLadij Joro  †
Dates of operation2020 – present
Active regionsBurkina Faso
Size30,000-100,000 (September 2023) [1]
AlliesBurkina Faso Armed Forces
France (Until February 2023)[2]
Opponents

The Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (French: Volontaires pour la défense de la patrie, abbr. VDP) is an armed self-defense group in Burkina Faso created to fight jihadist insurgents.[3] It is an auxiliary force supporting the Burkina Faso Armed Forces.[4]

History

On November 7, 2019, following a jihadist attack on a mining convoy, the president of Burkina Faso called for the creation of a civilian self-defense force. On January 21, 2020,[5] the parliament of Burkina Faso passed a law establishing the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland. The law stipulated that people could voluntarily join the VDP and that after 14 days[6] of training they were to be equipped with communication and vision equipment, together with weapons.[7] Members of the VDP have been accused of the murder of 19 men near Manja Hien in February 2020, and attacks on Peuhle villages in Yatenga, in which 43 people were killed.[8]

On June 4, 2021, during the Solhan and Tadaryat massacres, jihadists attacked VDP barracks before attacking civilians.[9] On June 11, 2021, six VDP fighters were killed in a jihadist ambush in Kogolbaraogo.[10] In December 2021 a jihadist attack killed many VDP fighters including one of their leaders, Ladij Joro.[11]

The VDP was possibly grouped into the Burkina Faso Armed Forces, or legitimized into the government, as referenced by Ibrahim Traoré.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Burkina Faso : armer les civils au prix de la cohésion sociale ?". 15 December 2023. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  2. ^ "French army officially ends operations in Burkina Faso". 20 February 2023. Archived from the original on 20 February 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  3. ^ Clingendael Institute; Anna Schmauder; Annabelle Willeme. "The Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland". Clingendael. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  4. ^ "Suspected jihadists kill 28 in troubled Burkina Faso". Agence France-Presse. 1 February 2023. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023 – via ABS-CBN News.
  5. ^ Project, Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (2024). Actor Profile: Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) (Report). Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.
  6. ^ Warner, Jason (2023-02-01). "Burkina Faso Fights Terrorism With Recruits and Russia - FMSOFMSO". Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  7. ^ "Pandora's box. Burkina Faso, self-defense militias and VDP Law in fighting jihadism" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-05-09. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  8. ^ "World Report 2021: Rights Trends in Burkina Faso". Human Rights Watch. 18 December 2020. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  9. ^ "At least 114 killed in deadliest Burkina Faso attacks since 2015". The Hindu. Agence France-Presse. 2021-06-05. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 2021-06-05. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  10. ^ Burkina Faso : 3 soldats et 6 VDP tués et au moins 25 présumés terroristes neutralisés Archived 2022-02-15 at the Wayback Machine, 15 June 2021
  11. ^ "Burkina Faso mourns 41 killed in 'insurgent' attack". DW.COM. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  12. ^ AfricaNews (2023-02-09). "Burkina, Guinea, Mali: A new axis on the continent?". Africanews. Archived from the original on 2023-02-09. Retrieved 2024-02-28.