To combat extremism, Burkina Faso is moving towards unifying religious discourse. 

Captain Ibrahim Traoré, President of Burkina Faso and President of the Sahel Union, announced a political commitment, in cooperation with his counterparts from Niger and Mali, to better regulate religious discourse within the Union by involving religious leaders, and thus the fight against terrorism and violent extremism will enter a new phase in the coming months within the Sahel Union.

In Burkina Faso, a draft document was prepared outlining an alternative religious discourse to promote the principle of social cohesion.

A document outlining an alternative religious discourse

In this regard, Traore said: We have shown people here a draft document that outlines an alternative religious discourse; we will correct it and impose this discourse, which will be promoted everywhere.

According to local media, Captain Ibrahim Traore acknowledged the difficulty of changing mindsets, given the indoctrination that has continued for decades, saying: “The indoctrination in Africa has been very deep, and whatever is said, many young people join these terrorist movements in the name of religion. This is an undeniable fact, and if we ignore this fact, we will have failed.”.

Traore emphasizes that despite this difficult context, the fight against violent extremism cannot be abandoned, because many young people join terrorist movements convinced that it is a religious issue, and that extremism is dangerous, which attracts people to this type of movement (terrorism).

He added: “You cannot destroy a terrorist base without finding Qur’anic texts in it. Many of those fighting on the ground believe that they are doing it for the sake of religion. Imams come from all directions to preach to them in the jungles, to indoctrinate them with their ideas and convince them that what they are doing is for the sake of religion and that the others are infidels who must be killed.”.

The presence of extremist individuals in cities

Captain Ibrahim Traore also expressed his regret at the prevalence of extremist individuals in cities, willing to kill those they falsely label as infidels, believing that these actions will lead them to paradise. This highlights the disastrous nature of extremist religious discourse on our societies.

However, he asserts that publishing some images from the front lines is intended to deter people by revealing the uncertain future for anyone who joins these terrorist movements.

The political will to adopt a unified document to regulate religious discourse promises a better future, as it aims to prevent the pursuit of salvation in the afterlife from turning into a breeding ground for impunity and religious hatred, which could lead to tragedies even more severe than those faced by the member states of the Sahel Union.