A human rights manual to help the water and forestry police in Burkina Faso to fight terrorism
Our work in West Africa is funded by the EU Trust Fund Sahel and our framework agreement with Danida.
During the past ten years an increasing number of terrorist groups have been challenging the stability of the Sahel region, including Burkina Faso.
When the internal security forces are combatting terrorism, they depend to a large extent on the support of the population.
This is equally the case for the water and forest police corps, whose remit covers more than 50 per cent of Burkina Faso’s national territory. The corps, which is among the new partners of the Institute, is struggling with a negative image in the eyes of the citizens of Burkina Faso.
A perception study done by the Ministry of Human Rights with support from the Institute showed that a large proportion of the population fear the corps and perceive them to be repressive and violent. Furthermore, the study revealed that the corps’ knowledge about human rights is scarce to non-existent. Because of fear and mistrust, the citizens remain reluctant to share information with the corps, or report on terrorists hiding in forests and other areas controlled by the corps.
The image of the corps needs to be changed. Our hope is that within the next five years the water and forestry corps will be working hand-in-hand with the population
Transforming fear into trust
The corps, working to change public perception and build trust, is now developing a human rights manual and other tools to strengthen knowledge and awareness among its agents and ultimately to adjust their behaviour and relation to the population. The development of the manual is the first step in that direction.
To build trust between the internal security forces and the population in general, the Institute has also initiated partnerships with three civil society organisations. Among other activities, they will initiate dialogues and forums for exchange between the population and the internal security forces.