Newsletter

National situation: Let’s do this war quickly and well and move on

France24 was suspended from broadcasting in Burkina Faso because French television opened its antennas to Abou Obeida Youssef al-Annabi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), considered by the Burkinabè authorities to be the enemy of the Burkina Faso. The one whose terrorist fighters attack, kill, rob and chase Burkinabè from their localities. In any case, the Burkinabè government cannot understand that a television like France24 takes this step, while the first officials and the television journalists know very well the abuses that the members of this armed group carry out on the populations in Burkina Faso. . As one could say, France24 took the slap in the place of the head of AQIM.

Does this mean that if Abou Obeida Youssef al-Annabi offered to dialogue with the Burkinabè authorities to find a solution to the security crisis, the door would be closed to him? The question is all the more important since many Western hostages were released (the last one is Olivier Dubois) after discussions with these armed terrorist groups. Under the regime of Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, elements existed to say that the government had to negotiate with terrorist leaders a kind of truce in order to facilitate the organization and holding of the legislative and presidential elections of 2020. Others countries have channels for discussions with armed terrorist groups. Did Burkina opt for war as for war?

If we have opted to fight the war to the end, this supposes that we have taken all the measures to carry it out well and end it in our favor. Because the main thing is not to decree that we are going to war, but to ensure that we can actually do so. Because a war costs a lot of money. A war costs enormous sacrifices to make, not only by the authorities, but above all by the populations who will suffer it in almost all sectors. If gasoline has increased in price, it is because we are at war. If the government had to increase the prices of alcoholic and sugary drinks (from 50 to 100 FCFA), it is because of the war. If the prices of certain imported products are increasing, it is because elsewhere in certain producing countries, there is war.

To say therefore that if we opt for war, then everyone prepares to do it quickly and well in all sectors. What is obvious is that all wars have found solutions on the table of negotiations or dialogue, it depends. Moreover, we were made to understand that the terrorist fighters are mostly Burkinabè who attack other Burkinabè. In this case, isn’t it more coherent and acceptable to establish now (if it hasn’t already been done) talks between Burkinabè to find a solution to what seems to be a Burkinabè problem?

Dabaoué Audrianne KANI