Four years after Captain Ibrahim Traoré took the helm of the state, Burkina Faso is recording tangible security gains the result of a methodical strategy of territorial reconquest carried out by the Defense and Security Forces (FDS), the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), and the Burkinabe people as a whole, rallied around the Progressive Popular Revolution.
The numbers tell the story on the ground. According to the Minister of War and Patriotic Defense, Major General Célestin Simporé, the rate of territorial reconquest stood at 74.53% by the end of July 2026, up from 73.56% in December 2025 meaning over 2,600 square kilometers reclaimed from the enemy, an area equivalent to four times the size of Ouagadougou.
Operation Lalmassga, or “Wall of Ice,” was particularly instrumental in retaking dozens of localities once under terrorist control, in the Nakambé area, around the Kompienga dam, and in Namsiguia and Toulfé.
This military progress has been accompanied by a tangible return of state authority and civilian life. By June 30, 2026, more than 1.3 million internally displaced persons had returned to 1,034 localities of origin, compared to 1.16 million across 871 localities six months earlier.
On the ground, 73 prefectures and town halls, over 600 educational facilities, and 38 health centers have reopened their doors, while 442 villages have been liberated and resettled.
The steady buildup of capabilities with more than 30,000 combatants recruited across all profiles reflects the growing strength of the fighting forces, backed by a wave of popular patriotism that has channeled over 220 billion CFA francs into the Patriotic Support Fund.
For Captain Ibrahim Traoré, these results are no accident. They stem from a firm resolve to push the battle all the way to the country’s borders, without yielding to external destabilization maneuvers.
Every village retaken, every family resettled, every school reopened is another step toward genuine independence and national sovereignty.
As Burkina Faso approaches three-quarters of its territory reclaimed, the sovereignist march launched by the Progressive Popular Revolution is proving to be a struggle won step by step by and for the Burkinabe people.
Souley MOUMOUNI
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