[ad_1]
An attack on a Protestant church in the Soum province of Burkina Faso last Sunday, killing six, marks a turning point in the fight against terrorism led by this country in West Africa. The shooting, the first of its kind, took place a few days after half a dozen people were killed by badailants elsewhere in the country, a sign that the violence could move from indiscriminate discrimination to the target.
"Every day, there is a new attack," said Leslie Varenne, director of the IVERIS Institute for International and Strategic Relations in Paris.
"Even if their size is small and they cause fewer casualties, we are facing a real war," she told RFI.
Burkina Faso has already witnessed unrest. Over the last three years, it has been the scene of a series of attacks, the most spectacular in the capital Ouagadougou, where jihadists attacked the Cappuccino restaurant and the nearby Splendid Hotel.
"Now the attacks are spreading to the center-north and the center-east," says Varenne.
Sunday's shooting in the city of Silgadji, near Djibo, the capital of the Soum province of Burkina Faso in the Sahel region, is the first attack on a church since sectarian violence broke out in the country. 39 West Africa four years ago.
School, targeted church
It took place a few days after the attack on a school that took the lives of five people. It was followed by a raid on a police station and a city hall in Gorgadji, also in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso.
None of these attacks have been claimed, but they are intensifying.
"I think we should definitely be concerned," says Sten Hagberg, professor of cultural anthropology at the University of Uppsala in Sweden.
"What is very worrying is that it is not the security and civil defense forces that are targeted, but teachers, religious leaders and city councilors. Now these are targeted civilians and this is of course extremely worrying because it is the basis for building a decent society, "he told RFI.
The escalating violence may be linked to a recent clean-up operation by the new authorities in the east of the country.
Desolate disorder
"The new defense minister, Sherif Sy, is playing a very active role in trying to repel different armed groups, whether they are terrorists or whatever their name is, but pushing them away," says Hagberg.
For Varenne, however, at IVERIS, these attacks against "symbols of the state" highlight the inability of the latter to control the situation.
"The police have deserted these hot spots, the army is gone, the hospitals have closed (…) the strategy of the armed groups to chase the government works. But instead of deserting, the state must invest in these areas and not abandon the ship. "
"I would not say it's being cowardly," argues Hagberg for his part. "I would say that people who work in circumstances where they find that their life is threatened, I mean most of us would do the same.
Growing humanitarian crisis
Insecurity and violence have forced thousands of people to flee due to lack of health care and basic services.
According to the UN, nearly 136,000 people have been uprooted from their homes – more than half of them since the beginning of 2019. About 11,000 people have also fled to neighboring Mali for reasons of security.
However, given the insecurity issues specific to Bamako, it is unlikely to be a safe solution.
So, what are the options, if any, for an issue? Limiting intercommunity conflicts is a beginning.
"Very often Fulani people are considered the ethnic group in which many terrorists are recruited. And tensions between farmers and herders over access to land are being exploited by different terrorist groups, "says Hagberg.
Tightening borders
Another solution is a strong state.
"I would say that we need to strengthen the Burkinabé government, civil society, directly involve an international organization, maybe the G5 is a solution," he continued, "but we do not have to go to the polls. have not seen much yet, "referring to G5 Sahel Joint Operation Force.
Varenne is skeptical about the effectiveness of external interventions.
"The G5 has not been deployed yet. And the French operation Barkhane was redirected to Mali, where the UN peacekeeping mission proved ineffective. None of the governments or international institutions have realized how serious the threat to the Sahel region is. "
If Burkina Faso falls, it is the whole of West Africa that is likely to suffer from the violent extremism it fears.
Hagberg calls for better cross-border cooperation. "Doing everything possible to collaborate on the Malian-Burkinabe border, for example, should be a priority."
Source link
