The Burkinabe government has summoned United Nations representatives to express strong objections to the UN’s use of terms like “Non-State Armed Groups” and “Militias” when referring to the security situation in Burkina Faso.
The government insists that attackers be labeled “Terrorists” and that the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) be recognized as citizens committed to national defense.
On March 24, 2025, Burkinabe authorities called upon the UN System’s Resident Coordinator and heads of UN agencies for an “official clarification,” deeming the terms “militias” and “non-state armed groups” to lack “any consensual definition in international law.”
The government vehemently criticized this “non-compliant” terminology, warning that it could be interpreted as an attempt to “legitimize or reframe the barbarity” that Burkina Faso has endured for a decade. They cautioned that such language risks “jeopardizing the good collaboration between our country and the United Nations system.”
The Burkinabe authorities emphasized the need for precise language to accurately reflect the reality of the conflict. They argued that those who “attack, kill, loot, and rape innocent, peaceful populations” should be unequivocally designated as “Terrorists.”
Similarly, the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), viewed as citizens committed to national defense, should be acknowledged as such, with their actions “strictly governed by legal and regulatory provisions.”
Established under former President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, the VDP auxiliary force has been significantly strengthened under Captain Ibrahim Traoré. He has increased their pay and expanded their operational scope. The government considers these volunteers, who are often deployed on the front lines, as “Burkinabe citizens who have voluntarily and courageously committed to defending their country’s integrity.”
This demand for clarity extends beyond the UN to include “all organizations (national, sub-regional, international) and all Burkina Faso’s partners.” The country insists that it will not tolerate “terminological confusion” that, by downplaying the severity of the situation, might grant “a form of legitimacy to the perpetrators of this tragedy.”
AC/sf/lb/abj/APA