NEGOTIATING WITH TERRORISTS, THE PRECONDITIONS OF A BLEAK FUTURE FOR BURKINA FASO

 "The fight against terrorism also means putting a brake on the terrorists' recruitment capacity and their influence by strengthening the resilience of vulnerable populations to radicalization.

If Mali is making progress in this fight against terrorism, it is because the government, under CHOGUEL, has given priority to strengthening the resilience of vulnerable populations and accountability to the state. The attacks on the Kati camp and the citizen participation in the arrest of suspected terrorists are irrefutable proof of this.

In contrast, Burkina Faso has not prioritized the humanitarian aspect of the fight against terrorism, and this is one of the main reasons why the Kabore regime has faltered. In my publication "Terrorism in Burkina Faso, neglect of the humanitarian aspect" on my blog on June 29, I stressed the importance of taking into account the humanitarian aspect in the fight against terrorism. Otherwise, the internally displaced persons (IDP) entity could turn against the state. The humanitarian aspect of the fight against terrorism has been left to international organizations, and the state has disengaged itself at all levels. IDP camps flooded, IDPs evicted by their landlords in Kaya, etc. When 2,000,000 people are far from home, and others live in street situations and begging in urban centers, the consequence could not be unexpected.

Therefore, it is not surprising that women are now accomplices of terrorists, especially when 68% of the 2 million IDPs are women and children, according to UNHCR figures as of March 31. If nothing is done, attacks will occur in the coming months in urban centers, notably Ouagadougou.

Another unfortunate situation that could arise from this is the kidnapping of women, their subsequent radicalization, and their fight against the state. As a result, villages near military areas of interest and IDP camps must be protected 24/7, and our security forces must work doubly hard to protect and distinguish between good women and terrorists.

Additional actions to counteract these future problems include initiating a rapid program to withdraw IDPs from the streets to leave no vulnerability points that these obscurantist forces could surf on. This action should be accompanied by the construction of reception infrastructure, as I mentioned in my article. Given the urgency, this program does not need to be nationally significant; we could target the most affected areas such as the Plateau Central, Centre Nord, and the North for the time being.

It would also be more important than ever to continue the program to withdraw children from street situations initiated in 2018 under the PNDES by Minister Helene Marie Laurence Ilboudo Marchal, whose execution rate in 2020 was estimated at 50%, and to work strictly to respect Law No. 029-2008/AN on the Fight against Trafficking in Persons and Similar Practices.

Finally, a budget should be set aside to support youth projects in high-risk regions such as Hauts Bassins, South-West, etc., and to initiate resilience capacity-building training activities that will revolve around themes of belonging, patriotism, and citizen participation. Actions that must be carried out with the assistance of technical and financial partners, NGOs, and individual initiatives.

Each one of us has a very important role to play in this process of peace consolidation or, as appropriate, the fight against terrorism. It is more than ever high time for everyone to identify their point of contact and get on the front line of combat.