Burkina Faso / UN: When the state demands that the truth not be diluted by diplomatic language
The fight against terrorism in Burkina Faso is not only military—it is also media-based, diplomatic, and semantic. For several months, certain United Nations agencies operating in Burkina Faso have continued to use ambiguous and inappropriate terms to describe the realities on the ground. Terrorists responsible for massacres, mass displacements, and the destruction of entire villages are often referred to as “non-state armed groups”, while the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), Burkinabè citizens committed to defending their country, are sometimes labeled as “militias”.
In response to this semantic misuse, Burkinabe authorities officially reacted last March. The UN Resident Coordinator in Burkina Faso, along with the heads of various agencies, were summoned for a firm briefing on the proper use of terminology. Words are not neutral—they carry judgment, shape narratives, and influence perceptions.
Terrorists must be called what they are: enemies of peace and perpetrators of barbaric violence against innocent civilians. The term “non-state armed groups,” vague and lacking universal legal definition, only diminishes the gravity of these crimes and allows for dangerous relativization.
The VDP, by contrast, are not militias. They are citizens trained, organized, and legally integrated into a national defense strategy. Labeling them as militias casts doubt on their legitimacy, undermines their patriotic commitment, and seeks to discredit the State’s efforts to safeguard national survival.
Burkina Faso strongly condemns this semantic manipulation, which under the guise of international neutrality perpetuates biased narratives. Worse still, some of these narratives are repeated unchecked by media and NGOs, then appear in so-called “official” reports that influence international opinion and decisions. In this fight for sovereignty, Burkina Faso demands that words no longer be used as weapons against its dignity. The war on terrorism deserves respect, rigor, and truth.
