One week ago, Burkina Faso woke up to the news of a horrific massacre in the northern village of Solhan. You wrote a comment “warm»On social networks the day after this tragedy.
Yes, there was a small personal dimension to this reaction. I learned the news of Solhan’s tragedy when I landed in Dakar, after a week in Ouagadougou, as part of WATHI’s advocating efforts for health system reforms in the region. So far from security issues, at least at first glance.
In fact, the deterioration of security in the north and east of the country for several years has had an impact on access to all basic services, health and education, even though the state was already quite weak in these regions. This situation has also already caused an unprecedented influx of displaced people, more than a million people, many of whom have joined the population in the most insecure neighborhoods of Ouagadougou.
Despite all the economic and social difficulties and the heat of the Sahel, Burkina Faso’s capital is still one of the most welcoming and peaceful cities in the region, with a permanent cultural and artistic vitality.
So yes, this rise in violence could only shock, even if Solhan was not the first tragic episode of its kind.
Also read our article:Burkina Faso: chronology of jihadist violence since 2015
You think it is necessary to be interested in the facts and suggest answers before starting geological geopolitical analyzes from the Sahel.
Absolutely. You have to look at the facts, avoid all the generalizations, all the shortcuts. This scale and these forms of violence are quite recent in Burkina Faso.
Two facts seem indisputable to me. The first is that the attackers coldly thought, planned, organized and carried out this massacre of civilians, including many children. How an armed group conducts its war – the choice of its victims and the concrete forms of violence they perpetrate – always says a lot about the nature of this group. It is essential that the authorities in Burkinabè communicate about the results of the investigations and that the people for once know who is behind the massacre.
The second observation is a serious bankruptcy for the defense and security forces that could not intervene despite the attack lasting several hours. We obviously know of the country’s limited resources, but it is quite legitimate to ask questions about the political choices that have been made in the area of defense and security to improve the effectiveness of the armed forces.
The choice to use civilians hastily trained as homeless and to place them at the forefront in some areas had been widely criticized by many analysts. Perhaps it is time to strengthen the means of communication and mobility of the armed forces.
“No one but ourselves, the Africans, together and united will save us in the fight against terrorism “, Burkinabè President Roch Marc Kaboré declared during the solidarity visit to his Ghanaian counterpart, Nana Akufo Addo, on 9 June. You prove him right
Yes, quite. Of course, this is not a revolutionary explanation, but it is worth remembering that European, American or Russian soldiers, diplomats, international officials, even genuine devotees, do not have a calling to live with their families for decades to come in the countries of Sahel.
The political authorities of the military powers even less. Their horizon for individual responsibility hardly goes beyond the end of their mandate. President Emmanuel Macron’s recent statement, on a profound change in the French military presence in the Sahel, confirms that it is not very reasonable to spend most of your time discussing responsibility for external partners, including decisions at least as much on domestic policy considerations when this applies to the situation in the countries in which they operate. In the face of recurring mass violence, an African collective step, rooted in dignity and efficiency on the ground, would not be a bad idea.
Also read our article:Sahel: France wants to change framework and strategy in the fight against terrorism
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