More than 90,000 Burkinabe citizens have volunteered to defend their country, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Sawadogo, commander of the Patriotic Defense and Security Brigade (BVDP), said in a press release issued on November 24.
The statement comes after a campaign to recruit 50,000 volunteers to fight terrorists, which was launched in late October, came to an end on November 18.
The lieutenant colonel also explained that the goal of the campaign is to strengthen the ranks of the army as part of the fight against terrorism.
Sawadogo said that the BVDP welcomes the mobilization and thanks the volunteers for their commitment to serve their country.
Sawadogo pointed out that those who are accepted into the ranks of the volunteers after submitting all required documentation will receive initial military training.
In late January 2020, Burkina Faso's parliament passed legislation authorizing the recruitment of civilian volunteers to fight terrorists. According to the legislation, the country's army was ordered to arm and train rural residents for self-defense.
Burkina Faso has been prompted to take the anti-terrorist measures in response to the terrorism threat that has been raging on its soil in recent years. According to a 2017 International Crisis Group report, terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso have increased significantly since 2015, with the north of the country, which borders Mali and Niger, suffering the most.
So far in 2022, the African country has been the victim of at least seven attacks. The deadliest in recent years occurred on June 4-5, 2021, in the village of Solhan in northeastern Burkina Faso, in which over 160 people were killed.
The problem of terrorism in the country is so great that Burkina Faso's authorities are unable to control approximately 40% of the country's territory, experts say.