 Prior to 2015, Burkina Faso, a landlocked West African country with a population of 22 million, was considered to be a land of stability untouched by the plague of insurgency. In contrast, according to the 2023 Global Terrorism Index report, Burkina Faso has become a focal point of the Sahel crisis, placing second only to Afghanistan and two places above Mali. Since the increase in insurgency, more than 10,000 civilians, troops, and police have died in the violence, while at least 2 million people have been displaced. As with any nation that has been plagued with terrorist attacks, the military in Burkina Faso has been involved in counterinsurgency operations against extremist groups that occupy pockets of ungoverned territory since 2015. According to reports, the extremist group has been able to claim 40 percent of the country's territory. This was the reason for two coups in Burkina Faso within a year. First, in January 2022, Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henry Damabah ousted depose President Christian Cabaret and was sworn in as the transitional government's president, and later, in September 2022, Ibrahim Traoré, the world's youngest president, ousted Damabah for failing to make significant progress in the fight against the jihadists. According to reports, the September coup was precipitated by an attack on a 150-track convoy transporting supplies to Jibo, one of the major cities in the war-torn north on September 26 by Al-Qaeda-link jihadists, which resulted in the deaths of 37 people, 27 of whom were troops. The city of 60,000 people had been under siege by terror groups for 18 months. The coup led by Ibrahim Traoré was condemned by the international community, including France, which also had about 400 troops that were supposedly helping the military in Burkina Faso fight the jihadists. The international community did not alone condemn the coup, but countries like the USA went further to sanction the country by reducing aid by $160 million and removing Burkina Faso from a bilateral trade facilitation program. Regardless, the military junta, led by Ibrahim Traoré, was sworn into power as interim president of Burkina Faso and pledged support for a transition leading to elections in July 2025. Traoré, dressed in military fatigues and a scarf with the country's flag colors, remarked after taking the oath of office, we are confronted with a security and humanitarian crisis without precedent. Our goals are nothing less than the reconquest of territory occupied by these hordes of terrorists, he added. Burkina's existence is threatened. Following the footstep of the military junta in Mali, Ibrahim Traoré ousted the French military forces that were deployed to fight the jihadists in Burkina Faso and declared that the country wished to defend itself. As part of the fight against the jihadists, President Ibrahim Traoré launched a campaign to recruit volunteers for the defense of the country. In a statement, the Minister of Defense, Colonel Major Kassam Kulli-Bali, said that an exceptional recruitment of 5,000 non-commission soldiers for the national armed forces to serve for at least five years in their military region of recruitment will take place throughout the national territory. Of the estimated 50,000 needed, about 90,000 have signed up to join the volunteers for the defense of the for-the-land VDP. These civilian soldiers were trained briefly for about two weeks before being deployed on the territory under its control. They then work alongside the army, typically carrying out surveillance, information gathering or escort duties. This force is one of the cornerstones of Traoré's anti-jihadist strategy, but since its inception in 2019, reports have shown that the VDP is paying the price in the fight against terrorism. More than 150 of them have been killed in fights with Islamist militants since January, according to ACLEED. On Saturday, April 15th, a significant volunteers for the defense of the for-the-land VDP camp in the northern town of Arima was attacked. According to the government, the attack, which killed eight soldiers and 32 paramilitaries, was the bloodiest to hit the VDP and security forces since the coup that brought Traoré to office. In response to the raid on the VDP camp in Arima, the government said it sent reinforcements to destroy a terrorist column that was attempting to exfiltrate. Due to the increased insurgency attacks, most especially against the civilian armies, on April 13th, 2023, Ibrahim Traoré declared a general mobilization to give the state all necessary means to combat terrorism in the country. According to him, the goal is to create a legal framework for all the actions to be taken against the insurgents. The defense minister, Colonel Major Kassam Koulibali, said in a statement that they faced with this security situation, the health of the nation depends on a surge of national spirit by all its daughters and sons in order to find a solution. Details of the plan were not divulged, but a security source stated it would include a state of emergency for the affected territories. And in confirmation, a statement was released saying that the government had extended the state of emergency that had been in place for eight of the country's 13 regions since the end of March by six months. The government had previously installed a state of emergency in March in areas most affected by jihadist attacks. The bill, which was overwhelmingly approved by the interim parliament on Friday, will be in effect until October 29th. According to Justice Minister Bebeta Nibi Awa Drogo, the measure aims to strengthen and consolidate the fight against insecurity, as well as provide security forces with more opportunities and resources. In addition, an advisory was issued, giving the president the right to requisition people, goods, and services, as well as the right to restrict certain civil liberties. Also, as part of their plan to fight against the jihadists, the government in February announced a plan to recruit 5,000 extra soldiers to combat the violent insurgency that has gripped one of the world's poorest countries since 2015. Then in March, the government launched an empty operation to reinforce the soldiers' equipment. All military personnel, both active and retired, were ordered to hand over their uniforms to their comrades on the ground. This was done to help outfit army combatants. Colonel Major Celestin Sampo, the army's new chief of staff, announced an acceleration of the offensive in early April. This new operation dubbed Kappidugu, the Beehive in Moor, and initiated in collaboration with the Molian Army, has mobilized around 800 men. While the jihadist attacks are still ongoing, the army of Burkina Faso has noted some success in some of their operations against the jihadists. In June 2023, the army released a statement saying that at least 50 suspected insurgents have been killed in separate incidents in Burkina Faso. They also said they were able to recover a large amount of military material from the deceased. The suspected insurgents were killed in the Noka area in the central province of San Meitno. Also on September 1, the army released a separate statement that said that more than 65 terrorists had been killed in the west of the country between August 7 and September 1. They also added that large quantities of weapons, ammunition, foodstuffs, vehicles, and communications equipment were recovered at the same time from. So, it can be observed that Ibrahim Traore is putting in all efforts to combat the security situation in Burkina Faso, although more work still needs to be done. However, only time will tell if he will be able to combat the security crisis successfully. What are your thoughts? Would Ibrahim Traore succeed in the fight against the jihadists? Do leave your comments down below. Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe if you are new to our channel.