Burkina-Faso: War effort / What does the government’s 1% salary deduction mean?

In its unwavering determination to eradicate terrorism and restore peace and security, the transitional government in Burkina Faso has chosen to rely on endogenous resources and active participation from all its citizens. Beyond recruiting civilian volunteers to strengthen the army, the transition aims to internally finance the war.

This rationale led to the creation of the Patriotic Support Fund (PSF), designed to mobilize funds through voluntary contributions from Burkinabe citizens.

The positive response to this government initiative reflects the patriotism of the people.

Setting a leading example and demonstrating the spirit of sacrifice required in the current security context, Captain Ibrahim Traoré has voluntarily foregone his presidential salary, opting only for his captain’s remuneration.

Ministers, on the other hand, are contributing 50% of their monthly salary to support the war effort and provide an adequate response to the humanitarian crisis resulting from the deteriorating security situation.

Additionally, new taxes have been introduced to equip the army with high-performance war materials.

Thanks to these state-of-the-art devices, the military, assisted by the Volunteer Defense Forces (VDP), have gained superiority over terrorist groups, achieving significant victories on all fronts to the delight of the population, especially Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), a significant number of whom have returned to their localities throughout the year 2023.

It is crucial to encourage those who have set aside their income-generating activities to defend the nation alongside the armed forces.

As a result, the government is committed to improving the living conditions of the VDP, which requires further sacrifices from the people.

The decree imposing a 1% deduction on the salaries of both public and private sector employees will contribute to increasing the VDP’s allowance from 60,000 to 80,000 CFA francs and also provide them with life insurance.

Many opinion leaders believe that this decision deserves widespread support to encourage volunteers for their spirit of sacrifice in this war to reclaim national territory.

Papa IBRAHIMA