IHECS in Burkina Faso: research for participatory security
For five years, the team of Burkinabe and Belgian professors will be tasked with analysing the security situation in Burkina Faso, drawing on research in information and communication, political science, and sociology. The goal will be to propose participatory governance that brings together security actors with occasionally conflicting interests.
The security and political context in Burkina Faso is challenging. Attacks are on the increase. Villagers are regularly massacred—without coverage in either the Burkinabe or international press. Information spreads only by word of mouth, stoking fear and perpetuating confusion.
The cause? Demographic, geographic, and land-related conflicts—particularly between growing urban populations and populations practicing nomadic pastoralism. Inter-ethnic racism, based on slavery, is still prevalent and contributes to the difficulties and frustration of certain population groups who, moreover, suspect international interference. All of these factors constitute fertile ground for religious extremism. As we can see, the explosive nature of the situation is multifactorial, rendering hope for a single solution futile.
Security in the hands of actors with conflicting interests
Within this extremely tense security context, political instability seems inevitable. In recent years, several military coups have brought down the elected government of Roch Kaboré, which had lost all credibility in the eyes of the population. The current president, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, promised to restore peace and security when he took power in 2022. The challenge has not (yet?) been met, and it is significant: economic and humanitarian challenges are causing the displacement of thousands of people and territories are falling under the control of armed groups.
On the ground, "grass-roots security" is being organised. Self-defence groups are being mobilised to protect villages. For example, the Rugga and Kogl Weogo communities, disgusted by the ineffectiveness of the police and the justice system in the face of banditry, have created their own punitive ecosystem. At the same time, increasingly tangible competition is emerging between the regular police, the official army, armed forces called "volunteers for the homeland," security services specifically linked to ministries, and private security companies. Insecurity is leading to withdrawal and protective reactions, which, in turn, fuel insecurity.
The role of communication research
While basic research is not intended to produce directly usable solutions, it nonetheless represents a necessary first step by establishing comprehensive analyses that do justice to the complexity of situations. Thus, the "FASO-LAAFI" research project (which could be translated as "peace and health for Burkina Faso") was launched under the leadership of Dr. Bouraïman Zongo (Ki-Zerbo University) and François Bangou, Director of Institutional Development and Innovation.
The partnership involves professors from Burkina Faso's Ki-Zerbo, Nazi Boni, and Sankara universities, along with UCLouvain and IHECS in Belgium. The team's mission, through fundamental and applied research, will be to analyse the security situation in Burkina Faso and propose avenues for improvement by bringing together stakeholders with diverse and varying interests. Communication is central to the situation: it is through this process that relationships of trust, negotiations, and agreements are established. In a context where current affairs information is so difficult to come by, it is clear that media literacy also plays a fundamental role.
To achieve these objectives, several outcomes are expected: the completion of three doctorates (in information and communication sciences; sociology; and political science), twelve master's theses (particularly in media literacy), training for security professionals, and a platform for information and popularisation of security issues.
An article by Emmanuel Wathelet, President of the Master’s in Media Literacy
