Addressing Jihadism at its Root in Burkina Faso

It’s with some concern that I observe the situation in Burkina Faso, that started unfolding in January 2022. Jihadism has been spreading in Sub-Saharan Africa since 2015 and after 2020 the situation is even degrading faster.  The reasons are manyfold. Political instability as well as poverty and a lack of economic opportunities leaves, especially rural populations, vulnerable to recruitment by extremist groups, who offer a false sense of purpose and meaning. Weak government and state institutions make it easier for them to operate with little resistance. 

This leads to the fading trust of the Burkinabe population in their government. The army, tasked with fighting jihadism is left unfunded, with little arms and ammunition and no food. Soldiers, supposed to protect the country, were running out of food and supplies due to budget decisions of the government. While their men are left on their own in the north of the country, the army leadership places Roch Kaboré, President of Burkina Faso, under arrest and dissolving the government on January 23rd. In his place came Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, an infantry officer who last year published a book criticizing the way the war against jihadists is being waged. On September 30th Burkina Faso suffered a second putsch. This time Captain Ibrahim Traoré has removed Colonel Damiba from power under the premise, that the temporary government was not progressing in the fight against the jihadists. Indeed, in 2022 only, over 3,100 people had been killed and 2m people have been forced to relocate from their homes. While this can sound discouraging at first, the impact on our development projects remains limited for now. The personnel of the Ministries involved in our projects remain in place, and commitments are respected. Also, our partners are optimistic, this change will improve the current security situation. If the temporary government will keep its promise to organize civil elections in 2024 remains to be seen.  The progress of our project to build a “Lycée Technique” in Zambélé remains on track. The construction of the first and second part of the buildings have been completed on time, teachers have been appointed by the authorities and classes have started as foreseen in the project timeline. Activities planned for the second and the third year are on track, and some have even been concluded earlier than expected. When it comes to our work to promote draft animals, we are far from done. Preparations for the next phase are ongoing with our Partner FESCOPA-B. They remain optimistic about the impact the political situation has on the work we do. The rural populations are resilient and inventive. Working with decentralized local training facilities allows them to adjust to the reality of their respective area and operate independent from political decisions and threads posed by jihadism.  Eradicating poverty remains the most significant way, we can contribute to a reduction of terrorism. Terrorism and violent extremism are fueled by political, economic, and social instability, as well as a lack of opportunity and hope for the future. It is important to address the root causes of these issues and work towards building more stable and peaceful societies. This starts with access to education to help break the cycle of poverty by increasing employability but also reducing the susceptivity to fall pray of extremist believes. Mechanization of agriculture, with means accessible to most farmers, increases productivity and efficiency of agricultural work. In return the additional production creates a new source of revenue for farmers. This leads to increased food security and economic growth, which contributes to lifting rural populations out of poverty.  While the usage of force may be one way of addressing terrorism, addressing the root cause of political instability, namely poverty and lack of education, is the more promising and durable solution. That’s why we remain committed to our work and initiatives in Burkina Faso. To learn more about the topic I recommend the following reads: https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/01/29/a-coup-in-burkina-faso-will-help-the-sahels-jihadists https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/10/01/for-the-second-time-this-year-soldiers-stage-a-coup-in-burkina-faso https://www.jeuneafrique.com/1399672/politique/burkina-faso-le-combat-pour-lindependance-totale-a-commence-assure-le- capitaine-traore/