Examples exist and are practiced: let’s put them in front to counter the narrative of violence
Téné Birahima Ouattara in Burkina Faso: Beginning of the easing of tensions between the Ivorian and Burkinabe armies. The Ivorian Minister of Defense met his Burkinabè counterpart, Kassoum Coulibaly, on April 19 in Niangoloko, a town located on the Ivorian-Burkinabe border. A surprise visit which comes in a tense context, marked by the arrest of members of the security forces on both sides of the border.
On March 27, a Burkinabè soldier and a Volunteer for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) were arrested by the Ivorian army after crossing the border in the Téhini department. They have since been taken to Abidjan.
On September 19, 2023, two Ivorian gendarmes were also arrested, this time in Burkinabe territory, following a chase with gold miners. Transferred to Ouagadougou, they are still detained by the Burkinabe authorities.
At the end of their meeting, these two officials seemed optimistic, talking about the “brotherhood” that unites their two countries. “We hope to make a new start, to fight effectively against terrorism and various types of trafficking at our borders,” says General Kassoum Coulibaly, Burkina Faso’s Minister of National Defense. “We have reviewed all the points of relations between the two countries,” declared Téné Birahima Ouattara, the Ivorian Minister of Defense, without going into details.
This gesture once again reflects the importance of civil security which tends to highlight negotiation instead of the use of weapons as a means of conflict resolution.
By Sylvain Koffi
Côte d’Ivoire and West Africa Representative of the RSA Initiative
International Peace Builder