In Burkina Faso, the opposition demands urgent measures against terrorism

Published on : 11/10/2021 – 12:35Modified : 11/10/2021 – 12:37

Regularly confronted with terrorist groups affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group and al-Qaeda targeting civilians and soldiers since 2015, Burkina Faso has faced an upsurge in jihadist attacks in recent months. An unbearable situation for the Burkinabè opposition which demanded, Tuesday, November 9, “urgent measures” in the face of the “deterioration of the security situation”, threatening to take to the streets to demand the “immediate resignation of the Head of State “.

“The political opposition would solemnly, faced with the continued deterioration of the security, food and economic situation in our country, demand the taking of urgent, adequate and verifiable measures”, declared its leader, Eddie Komboïgo, during a press conference.

“If within a month, nothing serious and concrete is undertaken to control the security situation, the political opposition (…) will call for strong demonstrations to purely and simply demand the resignation of the head of the state and its government, ”added Eddie Komboïgo, president of the Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP), the former ruling party, while reaffirming his republican spirit in his approaches and approaches.

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“The opposition remains democratic and democratic, republican. We are not putschists, it should be noted for good. It is a people who elected a power last November 22. We are a republican opposition, we denounce this that is wrong and we are making proposals, ”he clarified.

In his demands, he asked in particular that the army be provided with “better adapted combat equipment”, that the land borders – closed since March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic – be reopened and that the government buy “food on the international market to ward off famine”.

According to the Food Crisis Prevention Network (RPCA), conflicts, population displacements and economic difficulties as well as the pandemic risk plunging nearly three million Burkinabè into the “food crisis”, or even “worse”, this year .

In early July, several thousand people demonstrated in various towns in Burkina Faso at the call of the opposition to protest against insecurity.

Zone of the “three borders”

Burkina Faso has been facing regular and deadly jihadist attacks since 2015, in particular in the northern and eastern regions, close to Mali and Niger, countries also confronted with operations by armed jihadists.

Almost every week, soldiers and civilians are killed in attacks. In the most recent, that of November 2, a dozen civilians were killed by suspected jihadists in the north of the country, near the border with Niger.

The security crisis in the Sahel has spread to several neighboring countries of Mali, notably Niger and Burkina Faso. In 2021, the humanitarian office of theUN has identified nearly 300 incidents causing the death of 650 people in this sensitive area, pointing to an increase in jihadist attacks.

The violence, sometimes mixed with intercommunal clashes, has left around 2,000 dead and forced 1.4 million people to flee their homes, mainly in northern Burkina Faso.

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“The head of our Faso is chronically absent and when the ship is without a captain, the sinking is inevitable”, criticized, Tuesday, Eddie Komboïgo, estimating that his country “has never been so sick as under the regime of President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré “.

Last week, the government called for a “patriotic leap” and a mobilization of the armed forces for a “decisive offensive” against jihadist groups.

“I ask the national armed forces to mobilize to launch the decisive offensive with a view to regaining control of the whole national territory”, had enjoined General Simporé, during the commemoration of the 61st anniversary of the creation of the Burkinabè army .

Call for international support

During the press conference given on Tuesday, the opposition party also called on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union and the UN, calling on them “to get strongly involved in the search for urgent and effective solutions “with the people in order to stem the rampant insecurity.

“The opposition also calls on ECOWAS to urgently open the land borders of all member countries in order to facilitate the movement of people and goods and to stop the economic asphyxiation looming on the horizon. want an ECOWAS of peoples and not an ECOWAS of heads of state “, the speakers concluded.

With AFP