In northeastern Ivory Coast, along the border with Burkina Faso, tension has become a permanent reality. The jihadist threat spreading from the Sahel is no longer the only concern. A new danger has emerged: the Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland, or VDPs – auxiliary forces supporting the Burkinabé army. FRANCE 24's Julia Guggenheim, Damien Koffi and M'ma Camara report.
Originally formed as self-defence militias to fight terrorism, the VDPs were reportedly responsible for the deaths of more than 1,200 civilians in Burkina Faso between 2023 and 2025 – twice as many as those killed by the terrorist groups they were created to fight against, according to Human Rights Watch.
