Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland

The Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (French: Volontaires pour la défense de la patrie, abbr. VDP) is an auxiliary and irregular force in Burkina Faso. Formed to fight jihadist insurgents in the country, it operates as an auxiliary force supporting the Burkina Faso Armed Forces.^[3][4]

Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland
Volontaires pour la défense de la patrie
VDP fighters in 2021
Leaders	Ladij Joro  †
Dates of operation	2020 – present
Active regions	Burkina Faso
Size	30,000-100,000 (September 2023) [1]
Allies	Burkina Faso Armed Forces France (Until February 2023)[2]
Opponents	Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin Islamic State in the Greater Sahara

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]