Burkina Faso/Combating community conflicts in the pastoral zone of Samorogouan: Stakeholders discuss the PRéPAC project

The Centre d'études et d'expérimentations économiques et sociales de l'Afrique de l'Ouest-Association internationale (CESAO), with the support of the Royal Danish Embassy, in partnership with DHPCS (Projet de promotion des droits humains, de la paix et de la cohésion sociale 2021-2025) and in collaboration with the government of Burkina, organized a workshop in Bobo-Dioulasso on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, to discuss and consult with the authorities of the Hauts-Bassins region on consensual community management measures in the Samorogouan pastoral zone.

The aim of the workshop is to consult the regional administrative authorities of the Hauts-Bassins region in charge of the Samorogouan pastoral zone, with a view to obtaining their proposals for concerted management solutions.

It also aims to present to participants the vision and objectives of the project to support the prevention and peaceful resolution of conflicts in the Samorogouan pastoral zone (PRéPAC-2022-2023); present the current status of the Samorogouan pastoral zone; adopt any recommendations arising from the regional consultation...

The PRéPAC project is being implemented in five communes of the Hauts-Bassins region, and aims to help prevent and/or limit conflicts between communities over access to natural resources. It has two main objectives: to improve dialogue and consultation between local players in order to prevent conflicts linked to access to natural resources; and to promote positive conflict transformation practices in order to consolidate peace and preserve social cohesion.

To begin with, the implementation of objective 1 enabled us to gather consensus-based measures for the peaceful management of the Samorogouan pastoral zone from the village notables, in collaboration with the Kénédougou regional department of animal and fishery resources. These measures were then presented to the provincial authorities (high commissioner, directors and department heads of the Kénédougou province), who in turn provided guidance for a better understanding of the issues and concerted management of the Samorogouan zone.

These proposals enabled the project team to continue consultations with community players in the five communes, who were asked to put forward their proposals for measures to ensure the peaceful, consensual management of the Samorogouan pastoral zone.

At this stage, therefore, it was imperative to consult the administrative and regional authorities in charge of the pastoral zone, with a view to obtaining their proposals for solutions for concerted management of the zone.

According to Karim Koné, coordinator of CESAO pôle régional Burkina, there are many problems that can be resolved through dialogue, and this is what they have done through a new dynamic to move towards cohesion. "Now that the players in the field have already come up with actions, we need to validate them here so that they can implement them.

Dr Bertin Lukanda, from DANIDA technical assistance, points out that simple disputes over a field can become conflictual through inappropriate intervention, whereas they could be resolved amicably between farmers and herders. In his view, dialogue between the parties involved is essential to finding solutions that work together. He hoped that the solutions to be proposed would strengthen the ability of the players involved to reconcile their different needs and decide by mutual agreement on the shared management of resources as the context and circumstances evolve. He also praised CESAO's efforts to help ensure the conditions for consolidating peace and preserving social cohesion through the positive transformation of conflicts in Burkina Faso.

The governor of the Hauts-Bassins region, Mariama Gnanou/Konaté, invited participants to make an effective contribution to the work, given the importance of this concertation, which is part of the CESAO programme.It is in line with the vision of the government of Burkina Faso, which has made social cohesion and the promotion of security and peace its priority.

The PRéPAC project therefore seeks to ensure the conditions for consolidating peace and preserving social cohesion, through the positive transformation of conflicts, so that issues of divergence become points of departure for building convergence towards a common future.The goal is to build a plural community of sharing and solidarity between users of a common heritage.

Source: lefaso.net