Stories from Ouagadougou · Burkina Faso

The Burkina Faso government announced a plan to recruit 100,000 civilians into the national army. Human Rights Watch expressed concern regarding a recruitment announcement by Burkina Faso War Minister General Saint-Pauré. The plan involves recruiting 50,000 former conscripts and training 50,000 new recruits. The NGO previously released a report three weeks ago regarding alleged crimes committed by the army and VDP auxiliaries. The organization stated this creates doubt regarding the state's ability to prevent abuses by the new forces. According to the report, 1,800 civilians were executed in Burkina Faso between 2023 and 2025, with two-thirds of those victims killed by state forces rather than terrorists. Frédéric Garin noted that human rights defenders are monitoring the application of this plan.