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The Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (,
abbr. An abbreviation () is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method including shortening, contraction, initialism (which includes acronym), or crasis. An abbreviation may be a shortened form of a word, usually ended with a trailing perio ...
VDP) is an
auxiliary Auxiliary may refer to: In language * Auxiliary language (disambiguation) * Auxiliary verb In military and law enforcement * Auxiliary police * Auxiliaries, civilians or quasi-military personnel who provide support of some kind to a military se ...
and
irregular force Irregular military is any military component distinct from a country's regular armed forces, representing non-standard militant elements outside of conventional governmental backing. Irregular elements can consist of militias, private armies, ...
in
Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...
. Formed to fight jihadist insurgents in the country, it operates as an auxiliary force supporting the
Burkina Faso Armed Forces The Burkina Faso Armed Forces () are the military of Burkina Faso. The service branches of the armed forces include its Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie (Burkina Faso), National Gendarmerie and People's Militia (Burkina Faso), People's Milit ...
.


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, 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 of training they were to be equipped with communication and vision equipment, together with weapons. 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 Yatenga is one of the provinces of Burkina Faso, located in the Nord Region (Burkina Faso), Nord Region of the country. In modern Yatenga, the most prominent city is Ouahigouya (also known as Waiguya). This city served as the capital of the kingdom ...
, in which 43 people were killed. On June 4, 2021, during the
Solhan and Tadaryat massacres Solhan (, , ) is a town (belde) and seat of the Solhan District of Bingöl Province in Turkey. The mayor is Abdulhakim Yıldız (AK Party). Poklan (Boglan) had 77 Armenians, 8 houses, one church (St. Sargis) before the Armenian genocide. The tow ...
, jihadists attacked VDP barracks before attacking civilians. On June 11, 2021, six VDP fighters were killed in a jihadist ambush in Kogolbaraogo. In December 2021 a jihadist attack killed many VDP fighters including one of their leaders, Ladij Joro. The VDP was possibly grouped into the
Burkina Faso Armed Forces The Burkina Faso Armed Forces () are the military of Burkina Faso. The service branches of the armed forces include its Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie (Burkina Faso), National Gendarmerie and People's Militia (Burkina Faso), People's Milit ...
, or legitimized into the government, as referenced by
Ibrahim Traoré Ibrahim Traoré (; born 14 March 1988) is a Burkinabé military officer and politician who has served as the interim President of Burkina Faso since 2022. Traoré took control of Burkina Faso in September 2022, ousting interim president Pa ...
.


References

{{Reflist Paramilitary organisations based in Burkina Faso Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso