Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland explained

Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland
Native Name:Volontaires pour la défense de la patrie
Native Name Lang:fr
War:Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
Active:2020 – present
Leaders:Ladij Joro
Area:Burkina Faso
Size:30,000-100,000 (September 2023) [1]
Allies:Burkina Faso Armed Forces
France (Until February 2023)[2]
Opponents:

The Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (fr|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]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Burkina Faso : armer les civils au prix de la cohésion sociale ? . 15 December 2023 . 21 April 2024 . 7 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240407190603/https://www.crisisgroup.org/fr/africa/sahel/burkina-faso/burkina-faso/313-armer-les-civils-au-prix-de-la-cohesion-sociale . live .
  2. Web site: French army officially ends operations in Burkina Faso . 20 February 2023 . 30 July 2023 . 20 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230220082623/https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20230220-french-army-officially-ends-operations-in-burkina-faso . live .
  3. Web site: Clingendael Institute . Anna Schmauder . Annabelle Willeme . The Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland . 2024-08-30 . Clingendael . en.
  4. News: Suspected jihadists kill 28 in troubled Burkina Faso . 1 February 2023 . . . 1 February 2023 . 1 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230201103522/https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/01/31/23/suspected-jihadists-kill-28-in-troubled-burkina-faso . live .
  5. Actor Profile: Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) . Project . Armed Conflict Location & Event Data . 2024 . Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.
  6. Web site: Warner . Jason . 2023-02-01 . Burkina Faso Fights Terrorism With Recruits and Russia - FMSOFMSO . 2024-08-30 . en-US.
  7. Web site: Pandora's box. Burkina Faso, self-defense militias and VDP Law in fighting jihadism . 2022-02-12 . 2022-05-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220509203422/http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/fes-pscc/17590.pdf . live .
  8. Web site: 18 December 2020 . World Report 2021: Rights Trends in Burkina Faso . 29 September 2023 . Human Rights Watch . 28 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230528041635/https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/country-chapters/burkina-faso . live .
  9. News: 2021-06-05. At least 114 killed in deadliest Burkina Faso attacks since 2015. en-IN. The Hindu. Agence France-Presse. live. 2021-06-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20210605200457/https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/dozens-killed-in-burkina-faso-in-deadliest-attack-since-2015/article34737651.ece. 2021-06-05. 0971-751X.
  10. https://afriksoir.net/societe/burkina-faso-3-soldats-et-6-vdp-tues-et-au-moins-25-presumes-terroristes-neutralises/ Burkina Faso : 3 soldats et 6 VDP tués et au moins 25 présumés terroristes neutralisés
  11. Web site: Burkina Faso mourns 41 killed in 'insurgent' attack. 2 February 2022. DW.COM. en-GB. 2 February 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220202002359/https://www.dw.com/en/burkina-faso-mourns-41-killed-in-insurgent-attack/a-60261256. live.
  12. Web site: AfricaNews . 2023-02-09 . Burkina, Guinea, Mali: A new axis on the continent? . 2024-02-28 . Africanews . en . 2023-02-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230209190447/https://www.africanews.com/2023/02/09/burkina-guinea-mali-a-new-axis-on-the-continent/ . live .

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