In its ordinary session of April 12, the National Security Council, chaired by Alassane Ouattara, decided to create two transit sites in the departments of Ouangolodougou in the North and Bouna in the Northeast, to temporarily accommodate Burkinabè refugees. who fled their country because of insecurity and whose number today peaks at eighteen thousand. For a gesture of solidarity, it really is one. In any case, it is a commendable act that should be welcomed, especially as it contributes, in one way or another, to the fight once morest the effects of terrorism. Because, by offering food and shelter to these refugees, Côte d’Ivoire endorses the adage that, when the neighbour’s hut is burning, it must be brought water to put out the fire. But beyond the humanitarian nature of this initiative, this hospitality will also allow the host country to better identify those who enter its territory. This is all the more important since among these populations in distress sometimes hide infiltrators, malicious people, not to say terrorist fighters disguised as refugees. The case of Burkina is rich in lessons in this regard. Indeed, among the many refugees, especially from Mali, whom it had welcomed on its soil between 2012 and 2021, there were unfortunately engineers of evil, some of whom, like snakes, did not hesitate to bite the hand that fed them. This is to say if the country of Houphouët Boigny was right in taking this decision, both humanitarian and security.

Refugees should be called upon to prove themselves worthy of the hospitality extended to them

It is true that the accommodation of these refugees by Ivorian families is part of African solidarity. But it must be admitted that this way of doing things involves a lot of risks. Hence the need to move towards a more secure reception system, especially since the number of refugees is only increasing. In any case, as the saying goes, “prevention is better than cure”, especially since Côte d’Ivoire is already in the eye of the terrorist storm. This is why it is necessary to invite the refugees who benefit from the leniency of the Ivorian authorities, to show themselves worthy of the hospitality offered to them, so that Côte d’Ivoire does not later regret its gesture of charity. That said, we still remember the xenophobia that took hold of some Ivorians in the 2000s, to the point of pushing them to become hostile towards foreigners. Has Côte d’Ivoire definitively turned this page? It is to be hoped. In any event, this country, which has come a long way, knows better than anyone the poison of this evil. While waiting for the two reception sites to be operational, this is another act of solidarity that Burkina must still salute. We remember, in fact, that the regime of Alassane Ouattara had offered Burkina, weapons and rolling stock to equip its units within the framework of a joint operation on the Ivorian-Burkinabè border. Proof, if any, that Burkina and Côte d’Ivoire are two brotherly countries with a common destiny. This means that the two states would benefit from pooling their efforts once morest the terrorist hydra. Moreover, there is no need to recall that there is no solitary victory in the fight once morest terrorism.

Dabadi ZOMBARA