Ouagadougou: In order to consolidate collaboration between local communities, authorities and defense and security forces, a consortium organized a regional forum to discuss the issue under the presidency of Issouf Ouédraogo Governor of the northern region.
This North regional forum is an initiative of the Africa Youth Network (RAJ) in consortium with the Regional Council of Sahel Unions (CRUS-Dori) and the National Federation of Naam Groups (FNGN-Ouahigouya). According to the organizers, the forum is part of the implementation of the ‘All together! Rebuild social cohesion through the prevention of radicalization and the promotion of intra- and inter-community dialogue and the resilience of pastoralists in the Northern and Sahel regions. » The meeting organized on collaboration between local communities, authorities and the Defense and Security Forces has the main objective of strengthening cohesion between the different social layers of the Northern region for the prevention of violent extremism. The sixty
civilian and military participants were placed under the theme ‘Local populations and Defense and Security Forces (FDS): the same security vision’.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, the representative of the Governor of the Northern region, Dahourou Yala, invited the participants to lay the foundations for a permanent dialogue between local communities and the FDS.
The forum’s work took place in the form of a panel after the introductory presentation by Jonas Hien, coordinator of the RAJ. The panelists presented on the role of women in the prevention of violent extremism, the role of young people in effective collaboration between FDS and different social strata, and practices of collaboration between FDS and religious and customary communities.
At the end of the meeting, Athanase Fidèle Kaboré, project coordinator, said he was satisfied with the results of the work. ‘The forumists took stock of civil-military collaboration and above all laid the foundations for a permanent dialogue then issued relevan
t resolutions and recommendations for the strengthening of social cohesion and living together’ indicated Mr. Kaboré.
Source: Burkina Information Agency