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| Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland | |
|---|---|
| Volontaires pour la défense de la patrie | |
 VDP fighters in 2021 | |
| Leaders | Ladij Joro † |
| Dates of operation | 2020 – present |
| Active regions | Burkina Faso |
| Size | 30,000-100,000 (September 2023) [1] |
| Allies | Burkina Faso Armed Forces France (Until February 2023)[2] |
| Opponents | |
The Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (French: Volontaires pour la défense de la patrie, abbr. VDP) is an armed self-defense group in Burkina Faso created to fight jihadist insurgents.[3] It is an auxiliary force supporting the Burkina Faso Armed Forces.[4]
- ^ "Burkina Faso : armer les civils au prix de la cohésion sociale ?". 15 December 2023. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ "French army officially ends operations in Burkina Faso". 20 February 2023. Archived from the original on 20 February 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ Clingendael Institute; Anna Schmauder; Annabelle Willeme. "The Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland". Clingendael. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ "Suspected jihadists kill 28 in troubled Burkina Faso". Agence France-Presse. 1 February 2023. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023 – via ABS-CBN News.