Burkina Faso has officially launched a drive to recruit 50,000 civilian defense volunteers to assist the army fight jihadists. The country has been battling Jihadists since 2015 a crisis that has triggered insecurity and several military coups. The West African nation has been rocked by two coups since the start of the year, with each new leader accusing the previous of having failed to quell the violence.
Captain Ibrahim Traore who led the last coup in September, appointed a new interim government. Shortly before his appointment as Minister of State, Colonel Boukare Zoungrana announced that he would involve more civilians in the fight against the jihadist groups.
The mission of the volunteers who will be recruited from different districts will be to protect the populace and their property and offer support and backup to the security forces. The volunteers have been operational since 2020 and they receive a two-weeks training before they are handed weapons and communication devices that allow them to coordinate their missions.
Intelligence indicates that the Jihadists control around 40 percent of the country and as such, the need to boost the country’s security apparatus is a burning issue. The current transition government also plans to hire at least 3000 soldiers who will join the ranks and aid in the fight against the extremely ruthless jihadists who are mostly allied to the Islamic State.
