In Burkina Faso, the president of the transition, Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba, is launching a mobilization of retired soldiers. In the face of an increase in attacks attributed to armed terrorist groups, the head of state wants to strengthen the workforce. All non-commissioned officers and non-commissioned officers who have retired in the last three years are invited to join the Armed Forces until 18 March, as a reserve.
as reported from Ouagadougou, Yaya Boudani
The document, dated March 10 and signed by Lieutenant Colonel Paul Henri Damiba, President of Faso, mentions that this mobilization is requested for the “needs of the nation”, without further details.
This mobilization refers to non-commissioned officers and non-commissioned officers retired in the years 2019, 2020 and 2021. According to one officer, there are a few hundred people, the retirement age in the categories concerned is between 50 and 57 years old.
Sedentary positions “We can not say how many will join at the moment and their quality,” he said before adding that retirees were at “the end of potential”. They could replace the youngest in barracks, in offices or in sedentary positions that do not require any special physical effort, said our interlocutor.
This recruitment had been proposed since 2019, but some concerns about the efficiency, care and status of these reservists, in the event of desertion, had caused the authorities to delay implementation, according to a source in the military hierarchy.
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