Burkina Faso, a nation once celebrated for its peaceful interethnic relations, is now plunging deeper into chaos. Under the leadership of Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who took power in a 2022 coup, the country is caught in an escalating war against Islamic insurgents.
This ongoing conflict has led to tens of thousands of deaths and displaced nearly 3 million people, pushing the country toward a potential civil war, analysts warn.
Traoré’s Civilian Militia Strategy
In an attempt to bolster the military’s power in the war against insurgents, the Traoré government mobilized hundreds of thousands of civilians into a militia known as the Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland (VDP). Formed under a previous government to protect local communities from insurgents, the VDP under Traoré has become a symbol of unbridled violence. Instead of protecting communities, it has unleashed brutal attacks on minority ethnic groups, further inflaming tensions.
The militia activities have led to increased escalations in violence, including forced executions, enforced disappearances, and mass looting. Such violent acts have increased by over double since Traoré’s coup, said Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. This has created an atmosphere in which local populations live with a perpetual fear of reacting VDP.
What’s known as the Burkina Faso strategy of arming such poorly trained civilians with disregard to human rights has been no new phenomenon, however; others have tried such tactics across several countries in Africa. It happened most viciously back in northeast Nigeria, whereby that so-called civilian militia that assisted this fight against Boko Haram involved sexual violence, child recruitments, and summary executions.
Similarly, the militia groups in Sudan, referred to as the Rapid Support Forces, were instrumental in escalating conflict and provoking one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.
The trend of using militias to augment military strength has resulted in disastrous outcomes in these countries. Instead of reducing violence, these militias have escalated the conflict, put local populations at risk, and intensified ethnic conflicts.
Refugees Struggle To Survive
Even in Ivory Coast, which is relatively safe, refugees face grim conditions. Many of them have escaped the violence but are left without proper shelter, food, or education. The World Food Program has reduced monthly stipends for refugees from $15 to just $7.50, leaving many struggling to survive. Children in refugee camps cannot attend school, and the trauma of displacement haunts them.
Housseinou and Hassan Ly are twin brothers and Quran teachers. Housseinou and Hassan Ly left northern Burkina Faso in September 2023 after the VDP abducted their uncle and killed their brother. Their story, which was reported by The New York Times, is a deep manifestation of the trauma that one would feel when forced to leave his or her home. “They killed my brother, and then they abducted my uncle,” Hassan said, recounting the violence that drove them to flee.
Burkina Faso appears to inevitably descend into civil war at the rate the government leans more and more on the militias. The VDP, meant to offer security to communities, has taken up the role of scaring and destabilizing lives.
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