Politiser le «vide sécuritaire»: À propos des groupes d’autodéfense koglweogo au Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, the recent emergence of the “koglweogo” vigilante groups is often explained as a result of a “security vacuum.” This explanation, however, tends to depoliticize the power relations that underlie the phenomenon of vigilantism. In this article we analyze the justifications for the emergence and work of koglweogo groups and for the national policy of community-based policing that aims to give these groups a mandate. This analysis helps shine a light on the power struggles that underlie the determination of the notion of security itself. It is through these political and economic power relations that we understand the emergence and “success” of these vigilante groups within a dynamic of state formation.