Burkina Faso’s prime minister has ruled out talks with militants who control large swaths of the country, implying that security concerns may delay the country’s restoration to civilian administration.
The Prime Minister Apollinaire Kyelem de Tambela who spoke before the Transitional Legislative Assembly said ““We will never negotiate, either over Burkina Faso’s territorial integrity or its sovereignty.
Burkina Faso has been ruled since 2022 by a junta led by Captain Ibrahim Traore, who has promised a return to democracy with presidential elections by July 2024.
He went on to say that the administration hoped to double the number of volunteers for the VDP civil defense militia to 100,000 as part of Traore’s commitment to reclaim the 40% of the country’s territory held by militants since 2015.
On Tuesday, regional officials said an armed convoy was targeted Saturday near Bourasso close to the Malian border, with another local source saying most victims were VDP members.
The regional government did not give a death toll, but claimed that 18 insurgents had been wounded and captured.
A security source confirmed the attack on the convoy, adding that air support called in afterwards had “neutralised” around 30 insurgents.
The source also said some 20 people were killed in the same region on Sunday, when suspected jihadists attacked Ouakara, a village around 100 kilometres (60 miles) from Bourasso.
Since taking power, Traore has ousted the French military force deployed to help battle the terrorists in several Sahel nations, and is suspected instead of eyeing Russian military help.
After a series of bloody attacks since the start of this year, the junta announced in April a general mobilisation for the armed forces.
Since 2015, the violence has seen more than 10,000 killed both civilians and military, according to NGOs, and displaced some two million people.
The VDP, Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP) comprises civilian volunteers who are given two weeks’ military training.
Around 90,000 people signed up in response to a call for patriotism, far exceeding the target of 50,000.
