Day: May 23, 2024

148 suspected individuals were arrested, including 10 for acts of terrorism, during an operation covering the period from March to April 2024 in Ouagadougou, which also made it possible to seize 58 weapons, control 744,427 people, to search 136 houses and 115,091 vehicles, the AIB learned from security sources.

The Operational Coordination for Securing the City of Ouagadougou carried out several operations in the Burkinabe capital between March 1 and April 30, 2024.

During these missions placed under the authority of the Ministry of Territorial Administration, Decentralization and Security (MATDS), tangible results were obtained thanks to the strong contribution of the populations.

Above all, we note the seizure of 58 weapons and the arrest of 148 suspects, including 10 for acts of terrorism, followed by the opening of investigations.

There was also the dismantling of a network of six alleged robbers in Tampouy, a network of delinquents specializing in the burglary of businesses and homes in the Saaba dis
trict, and armed robberies in the Nonsin district. .

115,091 vehicles were checked and searched, including 70 seized. Out of 1610 tricycles checked, 18 were impounded.

The FDS also seized 26 balls of Indian hemp, 1,750 barrels of cyanide, ore smelting equipment, 30 bags of fine coal and 5 tons of reinforcing iron.

These successes were achieved by sealing off 24 areas, searching 136 houses and checking 744,427 people.

Over the same period from March 1 to April 30, 2024, the National Fire Brigade carried out 1,392 interventions, including 1,128 rescues for victims and 29 assistance to people.

The MATDS thanks the populations for their frank collaboration and urges them to continue by denouncing suspected cases to the following toll-free numbers: 16, 17, 1010, 18 and 199.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

The President of the Transition, Head of State, Captain Ibrahim TRAORE, Supreme Chief of the Armed Forces had direct and frank exchanges this Thursday, with the Volunteers for the Defense of the Fatherland (VDP) .

A meeting during which the participants speak to each other without language. It is this exercise that Captain Ibrahim TRAORE took part in with the Volunteers for the Defense of the Fatherland.

At the start, the Head of State paid tribute to these women and men who decided to take up arms alongside the Defense and Security Forces to defend Burkina Faso. ‘Many of you paid with your lives. But you continue to resist. I therefore pay tribute to you,’ he declared, showing here his gratitude to the VDP committed to the reconquest of the territory.

He told the VDP that Burkina is waging a war of independence which requires a firm commitment to free itself from slavery. ‘This war is to get us out of slavery. Either we agree to fight or we remain slaves,’ he said, while calling on the VDP to fight to fre
e the land of their ancestors. ‘Don’t sleep. Come rain, come wind. We must fight the enemies of the Nation. It’s merciless,’ insisted the Head of State.

Captain TRAORE also wanted to explain to the army auxiliaries that in this war, Burkina Faso is beginning the second phase. This new stage will consist of the development of the land; the VDP will be called upon to leave their commune to defend lines.

The Supreme Chief of the Armed Forces also gave guidance and advice to enable the VDP to protect themselves in order to best lead the fight against terrorism. Referring to cultural potentialities, he invited us to draw from the cultural substrate strategies to lead the struggle.

He also called on the VDPs to abandon manipulation and avoid spreading information on social networks, which is detrimental to their security and that of the population.

The commander of the Brigade of Volunteers for the Defense of the Fatherland (BVDP) Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Sawadogo expressed his gratitude to the President of th
e Transition. He recalled that the Head of State closely follows actions on the ground while ensuring that substantial resources are provided for the fight. ‘You went beyond the expectations of the VDPs,’ he underlined.

VDP spokespersons from the thirteen regions submitted their concerns to the Head of State.

These concerns boil down to the need for equipment, large-scale operations, social care, contribution to the agricultural offensive, training or retraining and their socio-professional reintegration.

The President of the Transition, Captain Ibrahim TRAORE assured them that the needs will be taken into account. He announced the acquisition of equipment, the launch of recruitment in the army in which the VDPs can take part. He also indicated that large-scale operations are planned for the coming weeks.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

President Ibrahim Traoré instructed his ministers on Thursday to take stock every two weeks of the civil servants actually present at their workplaces, with a view to controlling the workforce and the payroll.

Burkina Faso Information Agency

Here is the full text

Government seminar: regulating ministerial budgets to meet the needs of the populations

(Ouagadougou, May 23, 2024). The President of the Transition, Head of State, Captain Ibrahim TRAORE opened, this Thursday morning, a government seminar focused on meeting the needs of the populations and the efficient management of public resources.

Wanted by the Head of State, this government seminar is structured around three main points. This concerns budgetary regulation for the current year, preparation of the budget for the year 2025 and control of the number of civil service agents.

For the President of the Transition, it is necessary to regulate the budget being executed to better take into account the needs of the popular masses. To this end, the He
ad of State invited members of the government to direct financial resources towards concrete actions with a strong impact on the living conditions of the populations.

‘There is an initiative that will be launched in the coming days in the areas of education and health. It should allow us to build modern schools and also lecture halls in several university centers in Burkina Faso; the need to regulate budgets is therefore felt,’ explained Captain Ibrahim TRAORE.

In this perspective, the President of the Transition gave instructions aimed at readjusting the concept of program budget in the development of the budget for the year 2025 for simplification and efficiency in its execution.

Controlling the number of civil service agents is a challenge that the government must meet for better management of salary-related expenditure. To do this, the President of the Transition instructed ministers to take stock of the presence of their staff every two weeks. This will provide a real picture of their workforce. ‘This
will allow us to compare the figures with those of the Civil Service and the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Foresight to see who is paid for what work,’ argued the President of the Transition.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

As part of the development of the mapping of stakeholders and their interventions in the Northern region, the Regional Directorate of Economy and Planning of the North (DREP) invited the 23 last May, NGOs/development associations and civil society organizations to register with its service no later than May 31, 2024, noted an AIB journalist.

The dual security and humanitarian crisis has led to the influx of several partners, alongside the Burkinabe Government and traditional regional actors in the response to the humanitarian emergency. If the presence of these actors and their contributions are considered beneficial, they still accentuate the insufficiency of coordination of stakeholders and interventions in the northern regional territory.

According to DREP-Nord technicians, there is almost no exhaustive database in the region on all development actors and their actions. The absence of this coordination tool creates enormous difficulties for stakeholders in terms of harmonization of approaches and synergy
of actions, essential conditions for effective interventions and a better impact on the well-being of populations.

To respond to this urgent concern, the DREP-Nord is committed to implementing a recommendation from the National Stabilization Window of Burkina Faso (FNS-BF) project for the establishment of a platform for exchanges between stakeholders in the field of stabilization.

For Polycarpe Naré, regional director of economy and planning for the North, this mapping will allow, on the one hand, to identify them and identify avenues for synergy of actions and on the other hand, to recognize the different actors and interventions. All things which will contribute to creating more complementarity and synergy of action to optimize the improvement of the living conditions of the populations and give more visibility to the contributions of the actors and facilitate coordination.

Following the targeting of the various stakeholders, data collection (physical and mobile) will be carried out on interventions in t
he region, processing, followed by data analysis with a view to producing the map and identifying possibility of complementarity and synergy between actors.

‘I invite all the actors that are the NGOs, Associations, Cooperatives, Development Agencies, of the United Nations system to register via the links which are communicated so that at the end of this activity which extends over three months, we will be able to have an exhaustive database of all the development actors in our region’ hoped Mr. Naré.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

Training on the prevention of radicalization and the fight against violent extremism was held from Monday May 20 to Tuesday May 21, 2024 in Tenkodogo, for the benefit of media professionals in the Center region. -East, under the chairmanship of the Secretary General of the Center-East region, Sayouba Sawadogo.

The training of media professionals from the Center-East region was organized by the Ministry in charge of Security through its project ‘Preventing and responding to violent extremism in the Atlantic corridor’, was funded by the Program of the United Nations for Development (UNDP).

It took place from Monday May 20 to Tuesday May 21, 2024 in Tenkodogo under the chairmanship of the Secretary General of the Center-East region, Sayouba Sawadogo, representing the governor.

Strengthening the capacities of media professionals working in the areas of intervention of the project on violent extremism in Burkina Faso is the objective of the training.

Generalities on the prevention of radicalization and the fig
ht against violent extremism, the role of media professionals in the prevention of radicalization and the fight against violent extremism, were among other points developed.

The participant, Awa Ly/Bilgo, indicated that the training allowed her to better understand certain things about violent extremism and radicalization.

‘This workshop allowed me to nuance the two concepts to be able to improve my language at the media level and to call on all stakeholders to promote social cohesion and non-violence in order to ban violent extremism in our cities. We are going to call our listeners to unite and play the little hummingbird rule,’ she added.

According to the Director General of Religious, Customary and Traditional Affairs Mariam Sanogo, their expectations are those of the authorities in charge of the Transition, to support the fight against violent extremism in Burkina Faso.

‘Through the different actions that they will carry out, this could help to change things for the benefit of all Burkinabés. This hi
gh-level participation demonstrates their commitment. With the assessment, I think they have understood well and are ready for the fight against terrorism, radicalization and violent extremism,’ Ms. Sanogo said.

As for the representative of the UNDP, Moussa Ouédraogo, he thanked the media professionals who responded to the call.

For him, given the security situation in the country and the information disseminated on social networks, it is important that journalists are made aware of the fight against violent extremism and radicalization in order to be able to deliver true and reliable information. fair for the happiness of all Burkinabés.

‘Burkina Faso is going through a period of insecurity. And you just have to follow social networks such as Facebook, Tik-tok and others to see a certain number of messages being conveyed which contribute to exacerbating the security situation,’ he lamented.

And this, he said, has very difficult repercussions for our communities. Nowadays, it must be recognized that you,
as media professionals, can play an important role in the search for social cohesion and living together by helping to ensure the proper circulation of true information.

The Secretary General of the Center-East region, Sayouba Sawadogo, launched an appeal to women and men of the media for a synergy of action to support the government and its partners in their efforts to rebuild peace and social cohesion , a guarantee of harmonious and sustainable development.

‘I urge you to persevere in your migratory efforts as actors of peace so that the cohesion so sought after is a reality in our country in general and in our region in particular,’ he maintained.

He congratulated and thanked the initiators of the training for the vision of strengthening the capacities of media professionals on the prevention of radicalization and the fight against violent extremism.

The project ‘Preventing and responding to violent extremism in the Atlantic Corridor’ operates in the Center-East and East regions of Burkina Faso, as wel
l as in Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana and in Togo.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

The bodies of the province of Nahouri led by the secretary general of the province of Nahouri, Sanfiénalé Joseph Sirima, went this Wednesday, May 22, 2024, to discover the Binger hut in Tiakané, a locality located about 8 km west of the town center of Po. This visit is part of the 2nd edition of national heritage month which takes place every year from April 18 to May 18.

The village of Tiakané is located about 8 km west of downtown Pô. It is in this village that Binger’s hut is located, located in the royal court of Tiakané, that the bodies of the province of Nahouri went to discover it, on Wednesday May 22, 2024.

The visit was initiated as part of the 2nd edition of national heritage month on the theme: ‘Education about heritage, a factor of social cohesion in Burkina’.

After the usual greetings and welcome words from the wise men of the royal court of Tiakané, the bodies will carefully follow the advice and explanations of the site guide, Issac Lirmon Bouliou.

According to him, it was in 1887 that the
explorer Binger was chased by kidnappers. Not knowing where to go, he asks for help from the people of the village of Tiakané, recognized as warriors.

This is how the village chief will house him in one of his huts to save him from his captors.

A hut which is part of a set of compartments used as a hiding place for the village during tribal wars. He will stay there for several months before continuing his journey.

After the guided tour, the bodies were impressed by the model of this traditional Kassena habitat.

For the secretary general of the province of Nahouri, Sanfiénalé Joseph Sirima, this outing which falls within the framework of the national heritage month is an invitation to the populations to go and visit the tourist sites especially since the province has so many of them.

He indicated that encouraging activities were carried out in the municipalities for students so that they could visit tourist sites.

Sanfiénalé Joseph Sirima, invited resource people to preserve and conserve these sites for
future generations.

‘We learned the real story today, we were always told ‘Binger’s cabin’ it’s as if it was the explorer who built it even though it already existed in a set of compartments used of hiding place for the populations of the said village,’ indicated the secretary general.

The day ended with exchanges between visitors, notables and resource people from Tiakané to the great satisfaction of the day’s visitors.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

The High Commissioner of the Nahouri province, Auguste Kinda, officially installed this Tuesday, May 21, 2024 in Pô, the provincial director of the Nahouri National Police, Baré Kawendé Luc Kaboré. It was in the presence of the regional director of the Center-Sud Police, Minata Konaté/Traoré, provincial directors and department heads and several guests

Appointed by the Council of Ministers on April 25, 2024, the Chief Police Commissioner, Baré Kawendé Luc Kaboré, was officially installed in his position as provincial director of the Nahouri national police, on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, by the High Commissioner of the province of Nahouri, Auguste Kinda.

The staff representative of the provincial directorate, police captain Atiana Apougabou, praised the management skills of the outgoing director who was not a boss but rather a family man.

He is committed to all the staff to do their best to support the new director.

According to the outgoing director, Chief Police Commissioner Valentin Kaboré, several activiti
es were carried out.

He cited, among other things, 68 people brought before the prosecution, more than 28,000,000 CFA francs in fixed fines and 16,314,400 CFA francs collected for the municipalities.

‘Added to this is the opening of the Tiébélé district police station in 2021 after 10 years of closure. These results achieved are the fruit of collective work,’ underlined Mr. Kaboré.

The chief police commissioner praised the support he received from his hierarchy and from all social strata during his stay at the head of the provincial leadership.

As for the new director, Chief Police Commissioner Baré Kawendé Luc Kaboré, he thanked the police hierarchy for the trust placed in him.

He said he appreciates the heaviness of the task but is counting on everyone’s support to accomplish his mission.

Baré Kawendé Luc Kaboré, is committed to working in synergy of action with the other defense and security forces of the Pô garrison, the populations to meet the challenges and combat insecurity.

The High Commissione
r of Nahouri and the regional director of the Central-South police wished a successful mission to Valentin Kaboré, appointed regional director of the South-West police, by the same council of ministers.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco, Youssef Slaoui received on Wednesday, the Organizing Committee of the Faso Music Awards (FAMA) led by the general coordinator Issouf Ouédraogo, in perspective of the organization of the 11th edition, which will be held in Ouagadougou, from May 29 to 31, 2024, under the theme ‘Cultural diversity and integration of peoples in Africa’.

On this occasion, Ambassador Youssef Slaoui renewed his support for the cultural and artistic activities carried out by the FAMA Organizing Committee, wishing full success to this edition, which benefits from the continued support of the Embassy.

This important annual cultural event dedicated to Burkinabè music distinguishes, through awards, professionals in this cultural sector.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

The newspapers in their publications this Thursday deal with the 2024 Hajj and the nationalization of the Commercial Bank of Burkina (BCB).

‘The government nationalizes the BCB,’ headlined the private newspaper Le Pays, while reporting that the government’s decision comes following the refusal of the Libyan partner to finance the bank, contenting itself with paying its share of the action.

According to the Minister in charge of the Economy, this nationalization will allow the BCB to be in line with the requirements of banking regulations in the West African Monetary Union area with a view to ensuring better governance.

The private daily, L’Observateur Paalga, which displays “Nationalization of the Commercial Bank of Burkina”, reported that according to the minister’s words, Burkina denounced the agreement of the convention creating the bank on December 12 2023.

This denunciation, indicated L’Obs, rendered the previous provisions obsolete, thus allowing our country to give a new direction to this financial
institution.

As for the state daily Sidwaya, it mentioned on its front page that ‘The government nationalizes the commercial bank of Burkina, taking up the report relating to the council of ministers relating to this decision.

The 2024 Hajj is the other subject which caught the attention of the newspapers in their publications of the day.

As such, Le Pays writes on its front page: ‘Clandestine’ pilgrims warned.

According to the private daily, these clandestine pilgrims, defining themselves as all those who have non-hajj visas, make the work of the organizing committee difficult.

For this, the Federation of Islamic Associations of Burkina (FAIB) called on agencies and authorities to denounce the perpetrators of this practice, the daily said.

According to the newspaper L’Observer Paalga which marks on its front page “Hajj 2024: practical solutions and innovation for a successful pilgrimage”, the minister in charge of religion and the organizing committee of the hajj shared on some possible solutions this
May 22, 2024, one day before the inaugural flight.

According to the press organ, it was proposed, among other solutions, that pilgrims who do not have hajj visas should not have access to the site.

Pilgrims will also wear electronic bracelets to facilitate emergency management and health care for pilgrims, supported L’Observateur Paalga.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

The Department of Physics and Chemistry of the Science and Technology Training and Research Unit (UFR-ST) of the Lédéa Bernard Ouédraogo University of Ouahigouya (ULBO-OHG) organized Tuesday May 21, 2024 within the premises of the ULBO relocated site in Ouahigouya, the 1st of the department’s seminars, noted an AIB journalist.

It is under the theme ‘Contribution of Physical Sciences to endogenous development’ that this seminar was held. The opening of the proceedings was chaired by Dr. Ouédraogo Souleymane, vice-president responsible for teaching and educational innovations at ULBO.

Dr. Ouédraogo indicated that this scientific activity organized by teachers of the physics and chemistry department aims to allow other colleagues from Burkina and the African region to share their experiences in terms of research.

‘During the seminar we will attend scientific communications which are summaries of the research activities and researchers that have been carried out during their careers. Which, on the one hand, wi
ll allow them to give a certain visibility to their research and on the other hand, for the University of Ouahigouya, to shine nationally and internationally by showing what is achieved within the department of physics and chemistry’ supported Vice-President Ouédraogo.

For Dr. Sanfo Stanislas, assistant professor in engineering sciences and techniques and President of the seminar organizing committee, the chosen theme includes sub-themes. Thus, discussions around materials and their application in a context of climate change should make it possible to see how work at the national level contributes to improving the living conditions of populations.

Regarding the participation of students in this scientific meeting, Dr Sanfo will suggest that this opening will allow those who want to do research Masters to know what their teachers are doing and guide their future research project and also know which teacher to contact in the prospect of carrying out specific work.

At the end of the work which ended on the ev
ening of May 21, the participants followed communications on the results of the various research, acquired new knowledge and made a summary of the activity which will be promoted and disseminated to all actors in the world of research. Dr. Sanfo thanked the scientific committee led by Dr. Ouédraogo Emmanuel, the presidency of LBO University and all the actors who contributed to the organizational success of the seminar.

The UFR-ST at Lédea Bernard Ouédraogo University in Ouahigouya has 1,281 students spread across three departments (Physics and Chemistry, Mathematics and Computer Science, Life and Earth Sciences).

Source: Burkina Information Agency

As part of the implementation of the ‘Community Recovery and Stability Project for the Sahel’, the Rural World Association (AMR) organized May 16, 17 and 18, 2024 in Ouahigouya , a capacity building session for the benefit of around sixty men and women from four municipalities in the Northern region, noted the AIB on site.

The general objective of the training session is to strengthen the knowledge and skills of host populations and internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the communes of Ouahigouya, Barga, Namissiguima, Thiou and Ouindigui on social cohesion, solidarity and development.

In order to help meet the challenges, the AMR, in partnership with the Community Recovery and Stability Project for the Sahel (PCRSS) initiated training for the benefit of 60 men and women leaders from the targeted municipalities.

At the opening of the workshop, Félix Ilboudo Vice-President of the Board of Directors of the AMR invited all participants to listen attentively and actively participate in the discussions during
the three days of training in a giving framework. and receiving. Augustin Ilboudo, President of the Barga Special Delegation and participant in the training, thanked the AMR and its partner the PCRSS for facilitating the effective holding of the training.

‘I particularly invite women to actively participate in the discussions in order to increase their understanding of the different themes that will be covered by the experts,’ suggested the mayor of Barga.

For three days, participants were able to immerse themselves in the modules developed by Félix Ilboudo and Toussaint Samba, both experts in issues of social cohesion. Through these modules taught in the classroom and the exchanges in group work, several results were achieved.

For the village chief of Ramdolla and spokesperson for the participants, the training was a framework that made it possible to achieve several results. ‘We learned about the different forms, the values ??of tolerance, the foundations of solidarity, the relationships and other links
between development, social cohesion and peace without forgetting the mechanisms for building lasting peace’ he said. he indicates.

At the end of the training, the participants committed themselves as ambassadors of peace by municipalities by adopting a ‘Charter of living together’ which aims to facilitate community life and establish a climate conducive to the development of everyone.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

deprived of his phone, a teenager kills his parents and his sister

Sao Paulo, Brazil

A Brazilian teenager killed his parents and sister at the family home, using his father’s service weapon, after feeling “very frustrated” at being deprived of his phone, according to details from the investigation delivered Wednesday. This triple homicide which shocked Brazil took place on Friday, in the economic capital Sao Paulo (south-east), but was only revealed on Monday, when the 16-year-old contacted the police to say that he had shot and killed three members of his family. “The police were called by the teenager himself, who confessed to the crime,” explained the Sao Paulo Security Secretariat in a statement.

‘He revealed that on Friday he had used the service weapon of his father, a 57-year-old municipal police officer, to kill him, as well as his 16-year-old sister and his 50-year-old mother,’ this press release specifies.

The commissioner in charge of the investigation, Roberto Afonso, explained on Wednesday du
ring an interview with local television station TV Record that the teenager had felt “very frustrated” after being deprived of his mobile phone by his parents after an argument.

The story is particularly chilling: the minor, who was adopted, then decided to take the service weapon of his father, a municipal police officer, to shoot him in the back, killing him instantly.

He then went upstairs and shot his sister in the face. The teenager then waited several hours for his mother to return, whom he killed with the same weapon.

‘We need to understand if this is a frustration linked to some kind of disorder,’ said the commissioner, also hypothesizing that a ‘third party’ could in some capacity be involved in this matter.

According to investigators, the teenager remained at the family home with the three bodies for three days, until his detention on Monday, after contacting the authorities.

During this time, he went to a gym and shopped at a bakery. He told the police that he stabbed his mother’s body “in rag
e” on Saturday, the day after the triple homicide.

According to the commissioner, the teenager had a ‘cold attitude’ when reporting the facts.

He was placed in an institution for minors, the criminal age being set at 18 years in Brazil. Due to his age, he cannot be accused of crimes, but he will answer to the ‘offenses’ of homicide and femicide, illegal carrying of a firearm and harm to the integrity of a corpse.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

Casablanca – A five-storey building completely collapsed on boulevard Al-Hank in the Moulay Youssef urban district, without causing any casualties, reported the local authorities of the Casablanca-Anfa district prefecture.

Authorities had intervened earlier in the day to evacuate the building and nearby shops and buildings, and secure the area, after noticing worrying cracks in the building in question, whose collapse led to the partial destruction of an adjoining building, the same source added.

While operations to clear the rubble from the collapsed building continued, the judicial police launched an investigation, under the supervision of the competent public prosecutor’s office, to elucidate the circumstances of this incident, the same source concluded.

Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse

Agadir – As part of the Morocco-U.S. military cooperation in disaster management, an exercise to counter Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) took place on Thursday at the military port of Agadir.

This operation is part of the joint Moroccan-American exercise “African Lion 2024′, which is being held in accordance with the High Instructions of His Majesty the King, Supreme Commander and Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces.

Focusing primarily on the conduct of reconnaissance operations, the neutralization of improvised WMDs, radiological dispersal devices and CBRN decontamination, the WMD exercise aims to further enhance the operational and tactical capabilities of the CBRN and EOD companies of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) Rescue and Salvage Unit to deal with a crisis situation presenting radiological, chemical and explosive risks.

The theme of the WMD exercise, based on an interconnected scenario very close to reality, will enable the CBRN and EOD companies of the FAR Rescue and Salvage Unit t
o intervene to manage an incident involving chemical, radiological and explosive agents.

During this exercise, which took place in the presence of Major General Mohammed Benlouali, Chief of Staff of the South Zone, Brigadier General Daniel Cederman, Deputy Commanding General-Reserve of the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force-Africa (SETAF-Africa), the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team from the FAR Rescue and Salvage Unit carried out a preliminary reconnaissance using robots and sophisticated equipment to locate the improvised explosive device safely and accurately.

The specialized technician (EOD) then intervened to neutralize the device, before proceeding with decontamination, triage, medical care and the air and ground evacuation of victims to receive the necessary treatment.

The official launch of the “African Lion 2024” exercise took place last Monday at a ceremony organized at the headquarters of the Southern Zone Headquarters in Agadir, in the presence of representatives of the participating
countries.

Approximately 7,000 military personnel from about twenty countries, along with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), are participating alongside the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) and the U.S. Armed Forces in these large-scale military maneuvers.

Scheduled to take place in Benguerir, Agadir, Tantan, Akka, and Tifnit, the 2024 African Lion exercise includes various activities such as combined tactical, land, maritime, and air exercises, both day and night, a special forces exercise, and airborne operations.

This twentieth edition also includes training in countering WMDs and a series of medical-surgical and social services provided to the population of the Akka region by a field hospital.

Contributing to the strengthening of operational, technical, and procedural interoperability among the participating armies, the “African Lion 2024” exercise, the largest conducted in Africa, remains an essential event where military officers exchange procedures and experiences, particularly in combined join
t training and exercises.

This twentieth edition testifies to the enduring cooperation between the Royal Armed Forces and the U.S. Armed Forces, reflecting the historic and strong ties between the two countries.

Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse

Rabat – Sixty percent of families not covered by social protection schemes benefit from direct social assistance, said, on Thursday, Minister Delegate in charge of Relations with Parliament, Government Spokesman, Mustapha Baitas.

Responding to a question on direct social assistance at a press briefing following the Government Council’s meeting, Baitas said that the scheme was designed to help different social categories that did not benefit from targeted public policies, noting that the government had adopted a new approach to help poor families with direct assistance that they receive at the end of each month.

This category benefited less from social mechanisms through the Compensation Fund, he explained, adding that 60% of families benefited from 8 billion dirhams from 2015 to 2023, while other categories benefited from 12 billion dirhams annually during the same period.

This new achievement, introduced by the government as part of the social State as desired by HM King Mohammed VI, has enabled target fa
milies to benefit from direct family allowances, noting that the latter will reach 300 dirhams per child in 2026, depending on the situation of each family, in addition to the lump-sum subsidy set at 500 dirhams.

The Minister also stated that the Government has chosen to address ‘the poor in a precise manner through the direct targeting mechanism,’ by means of the unified social register.

In this context, Baitas emphasized that “this new approach is very important to move forward on the path towards the promotion of a fair distribution of state resources”.

Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse