Communiqué: GCERF donor information session in Burkina Faso

GCERF donor information session in Burkina Faso

On Wednesday, May 18, 2022, GCERF and its national partners in Burkina Faso hosted an information session for their donors at the European Union offices in Ouagadougou. This activity is in line with GCERF’s ongoing accountability and is guided by the principle of giving a voice to field actors involved in the implementation of funded projects.  

The European Union Ambassador in Ouagadougou presided over the opening of the session, which was followed by speeches by the GCERF Country Manager, the President of the Country Support Mechanism, and the G5 Sahel National Representative. The second phase of the session was devoted to three presentations by expert analysts on the security context, an overview of the current situation in Djibo, and the experience of local peace committees.

The presentation on the security context was made by Paz Hien, political analyst and director of CREDEC. He gave his reading of the current dynamics of insecurity in Burkina Faso, characterised by a deterioration of the situation in the North, the Sahel, and the East of the country. The analyst noted that the South-West and Cascades areas are much more resilient due to the difficulties of recruitment or indoctrination of youth by armed groups. In these regions, as elsewhere in Burkina Faso where insecurity is rampant, the limited response generally serve as a breeding ground for the expansion of terrorism.

The second presentation was made by Mr Traore Mathias of the Union de la jeunesse pour le développement, a youth association based in the Soum province and a GCERF sub-recipient. His presentation provided GCERF donors and partners with an update on the security situation in Djibo and on the living conditions of the population, which are marked by a virtual absence of trade due to the shortage of foodstuffs. Mr Traore also pointed out that Djibo has Volunteers for the Defense of the Fatherland (VDP), but their establishment seems to have been the main factor that led to the suspension of the current dialogue between members of the community and the armed groups.

Mr Sita Diallo of the Union fraternelle des croyants de Dori, one of the organisations receiving GCERF funding, gave the final presentation focusing on the experience of this local NGO in setting up local peace committees. These structures, which are spaces for informal and community dialogue, have been in place since 2014 in some villages around Dori. Composed of community leaders, the local peace committees work to prevent and resolve conflicts through an endogenous approach. To avoid internal competition, the organisers ensured that these committees would not have an associated document of recognition from the administration.

At the end of the presentations, the representative of each donor present took the floor to express their appreciation of the session and their expectations for improved synergies. Thus concluded the donor information session dedicated exclusively to Burkina Faso. The next session will be held in three months and will be hosted by a donor other than the European Union.