Burkina Faso: The fight against terrorism is everyone’s responsibility
In Burkina Faso, the fight against terrorism has entered an unprecedented phase: that of participatory defense. Gone are the days when security was delegated solely to the military or the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP). Now, every citizen is called upon to take an active role, transforming streets, markets, and villages into networks of collective vigilance. This shift reflects a brutal reality: against an asymmetric enemy, the response must be equally diffuse and omnipresent.
Caution is no longer an option but a vital necessity. In a country where attacks can occur anywhere, at any time, the ability to detect threats becomes an essential citizen skill.
The authorities are banking on collective intelligence: a suspicious look here, shared information there, and an entire terrorist system can be destabilized. This culture of vigilance, if widespread, could well become the Achilles’ heel of armed groups.
Terrorism thrives on social fractures. Conversely, national unity acts as a shield. Burkina Faso is betting on reinforced cohesion, where ethnic or political divisions have no place.
Collective discipline and the rapid flow of information between citizens and security forces become strategic weapons.
In this context, passive complicity a silence, an averted gaze amounts to treason against the nation.
Patriotism is no longer measured by speeches but by actions. Being Burkinabe today means protecting your neighbor, reporting an anomaly, refusing to give in to fear.
The VDP are no longer an exception but a model: every citizen must become a civilian soldier, engaged in a war where weapons alone are no longer enough.
Maurice K.ZONGO
