Hommam Al Nassim 
Burkina Faso President Brahim Traoré decided on Thursday to extend the state of “general mobilization” for another year in order to continue the fight against terrorist armed groups that control areas of the north and east of the country.
Burkina Faso announced the entry into a “general mobilization” mode of war in mid-April last year and is preparing to extend this status for another year, after the army achieved some victories against terrorist groups.
Terrorist groups have been spreading in Burkina Faso and launching almost daily terrorist attacks since 2015, causing a political and social crisis that resulted in several military coups, the latest of which was the coup that took place on September 30, 2022, and was led by the country’s current president, Captain Brahim Traoré.
As soon as he came to power, Traoré declared that his only goal was to achieve victory over terrorism and had already begun restructuring the army and reforming the military, before declaring a state of “general mobilization” on April 19, 2023, 6 months after coming to power.
The state of general mobilization is similar to a state of emergency, a document signed by President Brahim Traoré, which states that “young people aged 18 and over who are physically fit” are called upon to “recruit according to the needs expressed by the competent authorities.”
Among its 14 items, the document calls on civilians to contribute to the war on terrorism by “organizing themselves, under the supervision of the defense and security forces, to defend their areas against all forms of threats, especially terrorist groups.”
With regard to public freedoms, the document noted that “individual and collective rights and freedoms guaranteed by laws and regulations may in some cases be restricted”, a point that sparked some controversy, but was quickly interrupted due to the exceptional situation the country is going through.
Burkina Faso’s transitional government said in a new document issued on Thursday that it had decided “in view of the prevailing security situation on the national territory, a decree of general mobilization” for a year, noting that the decision to extend was due to “consolidating achievements and continuing the fight against terrorism in our country.”
According to the authorities, the extension allows “continued resource mobilization, restoration of security and ensuring the protection of the population and their property from the threat and terrorist acts”.
In recent months, the Burkina Faso army has announced that it has made significant gains in its fight against terrorist groups, thanks to the air force and special units specially trained in the fight against terrorism and has inflicted heavy losses on terrorist groups in the form of neutralizing hundreds of fighters, and the army has announced that it has regained control of some areas.
Despite this, terrorist groups loyal to ISIS and al-Qaeda continue to carry out almost daily terrorist attacks on army positions and villages inhabited by civilians, concentrated in areas adjacent to Mali and Niger.
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