Burkina Faso Votes Law Backing Vigilantes Fighting Jihadists

A majority of lawmakers in Burkina Faso voted a new law providing for extending funding and training to local vigilantes in response to the growing firepower of jihadist groups in the Sahel nation.

Vigilante groups called koglweogo – “guardians of the bush” in the Moore language – will be the first beneficiaries of the fund. However, the United Nations and human rights activists expressed fear that it could empower fighters accused of ethnic killings in the past.

There are an estimated 40,000 such groups across Burkina Faso, according to the UN.

“This law was voted unanimously by the parliament,” Defense Minister Moumina Cheriff Sy told reporters after the vote.

“It shows that beyond our differences of opinion… we can be one when it comes to defending the homeland.”

Earlier this week, on Monday, militants killed 36 people at a market in a village in northern Burkina Faso.

West Africa is facing a growing threat from Islamist extremist groups. Many of these groups originated in Mali but have since spilled over its borders, some of which establishing themselves in the north and east of Burkina Faso.

The country has become a desirable haven for many groups because of the security vacuum that has defined the country following the deposition of longtime strongman Blaise Compaore.