Five civilian volunteers assisting the Burkinabe military were killed in a deadly attack this week in the western part of the country, security officials confirmed on Saturday. The assault took place on Thursday in the Gnangdin area, located near the borders of Togo and Ghana.
The volunteers, members of the Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP), a local group formed to support the army’s fight against insurgents, were targeted by armed terrorist groups while stationed at a forward security position. A security official stated, “Unfortunately, five volunteers lost their lives during the attack.”
The VDP members are locally recruited, armed, and trained for three months before being deployed. They often work alongside professional soldiers or, in some instances, operate independently to secure vulnerable regions from insurgent activities.
The attack has sparked anger and protests among local residents, who blocked the main highway connecting the region to the Togolese border. According to an anonymous local source, the blockade lasted several hours before authorities intervened to clear the road. The source expressed dissatisfaction with the delayed military response, adding, “If armed groups can continue to strike despite the military presence, it is clear more must be done to protect these communities.”
This attack is part of the larger, ongoing insurgency that has spread through the Sahel region, originating in Mali in 2012 before expanding to neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger. In all three countries, military governments now hold power following a series of coups in recent years.
Since the violence spread to Burkina Faso in 2015, the country has experienced devastating losses, with nearly 26,000 people killed and almost two million displaced. The insurgency, largely fueled by extremist groups, continues to wreak havoc on the region, presenting serious challenges to both local and international efforts to restore stability and security.