Burkina Faso Begins Recruiting Millions To Expand Military Amidst Growing Insurgency

#africanews #burkinafaso Recently the President of Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Traore initiated mass recruitment of Burkinabes into the Burkinabe military. The question is why did he decide to take this step? Is the insecurity getting worse? Let’s find out. On Saturday, August 24th 2024, around 200 people were killed and about 140 people were injured in a Burkinabe town, named Barsalogho. This unfortunate incident was carried out by an al-Qaeda-linked armed group, known as Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin or JNIM. Workmen and children were among those that were killed in this deadly attack which is now called the Barsalogho attack. Barsalogho is a town that lies close to the town of Kaya, a strategic point in north-central Burkina Faso that houses the last standing military force between JNIM fighters and the capital city, Ouagadougou. But how did the attack happen? A day before the attack, that’s on Friday August 23rd 2024, the Burkinabe authorities received intels about the possibility of these armed insurgents attacking the town. So, in response, the authorities called on the general population to help the military in digging trenches which will serve as a protective barrier and stop the invading fighters from entering the town. According to the local news report, some of the town’s people initially refused to help because they were scared of the repercussions from the armed insurgents. However, despite the initial reluctance, the trench digging began on Saturday and it was while it was going on, that these armed insurgents descended on the town and rained fire on them. It was horrible.