Burkina Faso: TERRORISMO y miseria 🇧🇫

Summary

El guion detalla una expedición al norte de Costa de Marfil, cerca de la frontera con Burkina Faso, un país marcado por la inestabilidad política, conflictos étnicos y crisis humanitarias. El viaje revela la lucha contra el terrorismo, la hambruna y la pobreza extrema, con más de tres millones de personas desplazadas y un alto número de muertes por ataques terroristas. La situación se complica con la reciente expulsión de las fuerzas francesas y la dependencia de mercenarios rusos, mientras el gobierno intenta hacer frente a la insurgencia y mejorar el control de las fronteras para acorralar a los terroristas.

Takeaways

• 🌍 Estamos en el norte de Costa de Marfil, cerca de la frontera con Burkina Faso, un país marcado por la inestabilidad política y la violencia terrorista.
• 🚫 La frontera entre Costa de Marfil y Burkina Faso suele estar cerrada debido a los conflictos y los ataques terroristas frecuentes.
• ⚠️ Burkina Faso es considerado uno de los países más pobres y peligrosos del mundo, con una alta tasa de mortalidad por terrorismo.
• 🏞️ Al cruzar la frontera, se nota un cambio significativo en el clima, pasando de un entorno casi jungle a uno más desértico.
• 🛃 Al entrar en Burkina Faso, el proceso de aduana fue inusualmente fácil, sin controles rigurosos, lo que podría causar problemas para salir del país.
• 🇧🇫 La historia reciente de Burkina Faso está marcada por golpes de Estado, asesinatos de presidentes y cambios de gobierno, lo que ha llevado a una inestabilidad política crónica.
• 🔍 El viaje busca documentar la situación de crisis humanitaria, la hambruna y los grupos terroristas activos en la región.
• 🚨 Burkina Faso es uno de los principales focos de terrorismo mundial, con grupos como GSIM y el Estado Islámico del Sahara Occidental causando gran violencia.
• 🏭 A pesar de ser el cuarto productor de oro de África, Burkina Faso es uno de los países más pobres del mundo, con una gran cantidad de su población viviendo en condiciones de pobreza extrema.
• 🏞️ El paisaje del país varía desde áreas rurales con cultivos en el sur hasta áreas áridas y desiertas en el norte, donde la vida se vuelve más difícil.

Q & A

¿En qué país se encuentra el narrador al inicio del guion?

El narrador se encuentra en el norte de Costa de Marfil al inicio del guion.

¿Cuál es la situación política en Burkina Faso según el guion?

Burkina Faso sufre de inestabilidad política, conflictos étnicos y crisis humanitarias, lo que lo convierte en uno de los países más pobres y peligrosos del mundo.

¿Cuál es el principal motivo de la misión del narrador en Burkina Faso?

El narrador busca investigar la situación de las hambrunas, crisis humanitarias y los grupos terroristas que operan en el país, sus motivos y tácticas.

¿Cómo describe el narrador la facilidad para cruzar la frontera entre Costa de Marfil y Burkina Faso?

El narrador describe que cruzar la frontera fue muy fácil y no se les revisó ni se les marcaron las pasaportes, lo que representa un problema para salir del país.

¿Qué evento histórico menciona el narrador sobre Burkina Faso?

El narrador menciona la breve pero ambiciosa presidencia de Tomás Sankara, conocido como el presidente de los pobres, quien gobernó entre 1983 y 1987 y logró mejorar significativamente la alfabetización y la infraestructura del país.

¿Cuál es la situación actual de seguridad en Burkina Faso según el guion?

La situación de seguridad es crítica, con ataques terroristas diarios y millones de personas desplazadas, lo que ha convertido a Burkina Faso en uno de los países con más muertes por terrorismo.

¿Qué grupos terroristas son mencionados en el guion como los principales actores en Burkina Faso?

Los grupos terroristas mencionados son el Grupo de Apoyo a la Iglesia y los Músicos (GSIM), afiliados a Al Qaeda, y el Estado Islámico del Sahara Occidental, afiliados a ISIS.

¿Cómo responde el gobierno de Burkina Faso ante la situación de terrorismo?

El gobierno, liderado por Ibrahim Traoré, ha declarado una 'guerra absoluta' contra el terrorismo, expulsó al ejército francés y busca apoyo militar ruso, aunque el narrador describe el plan actual como un 'desastre'.

¿Qué medidas están tomando las autoridades para mejorar la seguridad en las fronteras según el guion?

Están haciendo las fronteras más rígidas y menos porosas para evitar que los terroristas se muevan libremente entre los países vecinos y para facilitar su captura.

¿Cómo afecta la situación de terrorismo la vida diaria de los habitantes de Burkina Faso?

La vida diaria en Burkina Faso está marcada por la supervivencia, enfrentando la inseguridad, la escasez de alimentos y el miedo constante a los ataques terroristas.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 Entrada a Burkina Faso y su contexto político

El primer párrafo introduce al espectador en el norte de Costa de Marfil, donde el narrador está a punto de entrar a Burkina Faso. Describe la inestabilidad política, conflictos étnicos y crisis humanitarias que afectan el país, considerado uno de los más pobres y peligrosos del mundo. Destaca la alta incidencia de terrorismo, con miles de muertes anuales, y menciona la intención del narrador de investigar la situación de hambruna, crisis humanitaria y los grupos terroristas presentes. Finalmente, el narrador relata su experiencia al cruzar la frontera, la cual fue inesperadamente fácil, y la necesidad de obtener un sello de pasaporte en la ciudad de Banfora.

05:02

🏛️ Historia reciente y situación política de Burkina Faso

Este párrafo ofrece un resumen histórico de Burkina Faso, desde su independencia en 1960 como Alto Volta hasta los cambios de nombre y gobiernos en los años noventa. Se menciona la breve pero significativa presidencia de Tomás Sankara, conocido como el presidente de los pobres, quien implementó reformas educativas y sociales antes de ser asesinado en 1987. El narrador también aborda la inestabilidad política actual, con múltiples golpes de Estado y la reciente llegada al poder del presidente interino Ibrahim Traoré tras un nuevo golpe en 2022. Además, se describe la complejidad de la situación actual, con terrorismo, conflictos étnicos y crisis humanitaria, que fomentan el crecimiento de grupos terroristas.

10:05

🚨 Terrorismo y sus efectos en Burkina Faso

El tercer párrafo se centra en el terrorismo en Burkina Faso, señalando que el país es uno de los más afectados en el mundo por este fenómeno. El narrador relata la experiencia de tener que cancelar planes debido a la presencia de grupos terroristas y la dificultad de obtener información actualizada sobre la seguridad en diferentes regiones. Detalla las tácticas de los ataques terroristas, la situación crítica de desplazados y las muertes causadas por terrorismo, incluyendo la ejecución de dos periodistas españoles. Además, menciona la lucha del gobierno contra el terrorismo, la falta de control sobre gran parte del territorio y la complejidad de la situación, donde los ataques ocurren en áreas controladas por el gobierno y se sienten cada vez más cerca de la capital.

15:05

🏞️ Diversidad étnica y desafíos de la vida en Burkina Faso

Este párrafo explora la diversidad étnica y las condiciones de vida en Burkina Faso, destacando la riqueza cultural y la presencia de más de sesenta grupos étnicos. El narrador describe su visita a un cascada y la importancia de la producción de mangos en la región. Aborda la pobreza extrema, la falta de servicios básicos y la crisis humanitaria, incluyendo la desnutrición infantil y la escasez de alimentos. Además, menciona la situación de la salud y la esperanza de vida en el país, así como los retos para la cobertura médica y la atención a la población en general.

20:06

🏙️ Desafíos para la documentación en Uagadugú

El quinto párrafo relata los desafíos enfrentados por el narrador al documentar la vida en Uagadugú, la capital de Burkina Faso. Describe la dificultad de filmar debido a la presencia de fuerzas de seguridad, la tensión social y la aversión de las comunidades locales hacia ser grabadas, particularmente las mujeres. El narrador también menciona la estrategia del gobierno para combatir el terrorismo, incluyendo la expulsión de las fuerzas armadas francesas y la alianza con mercenarios rusos. Finalmente, se discuten las acciones del gobierno para fortalecer las fronteras y la cooperación internacional como posibles soluciones para abordar la situación de inseguridad.

25:09

🛤️ Perspectivas finales y esperanzas para Burkina Faso

En el último párrafo, el narrador reflexiona sobre su experiencia en Burkina Faso y expresa su deseo de regresar al país en mejores condiciones. Muestra preocupación por la calidad de vida de los habitantes y la dificultad de documentar la realidad debido a la inestabilidad y la violencia. Sin embargo, también señala algunos signos de mejora, como el fortalecimiento de las fronteras y la cooperación internacional en la lucha contra el terrorismo. El narrador cierra con un mensaje de esperanza y un llamado a seguir informándose sobre la situación del país.

Keywords

💡Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso es un país situado en África occidental, conocido por su inestabilidad política y conflictos étnicos, que han llevado a una crisis humanitaria y a ser uno de los países más pobres del mundo. En el guion, se menciona que es uno de los países más afectados por el terrorismo, con ataques que causan miles de muertes anualmente, y donde el gobierno solo controla aproximadamente el 50% del territorio. El video busca documentar la situación en el país, incluyendo las crisis humanitarias y las operaciones de grupos terroristas.

💡Inestabilidad política

La inestabilidad política en Burkina Faso se refleja en la historia de golpes de Estado, asesinatos de presidentes y cambios constantes de gobierno. En el guion, se menciona que la situación política es 'extrema' y ha llevado a la aparición de conflictos étnicos y crisis humanitarias, creando un terreno fértil para el terrorismo. El país ha experimentado una serie de cambios políticos violentos, incluyendo un golpe de Estado en 2022.

💡Conflictos étnicos

Los conflictos étnicos en Burkina Faso son un punto central del video, donde se discute cómo las tensiones entre diferentes grupos étnicos, como los Fulani, han llevado a la marginalización y el resentimiento, lo que a su vez ha contribuido al aumento del terrorismo. El guion destaca cómo estos conflictos son una parte integral de la complejidad del terrorismo en el país y cómo afectan la vida de las comunidades locales.

💡Crisis humanitaria

La crisis humanitaria en Burkina Faso es un tema recurrente en el guion, con el hambre y la desnutrición como problemas principales, afectando a millones de personas y a la mayoría de los niños. El video aborda cómo la falta de recursos, la violencia y la inestabilidad han creado una situación desastrosa, donde más del 40% de la población vive en condiciones de pobreza extrema.

💡Terrorismo

El terrorismo es un tema central del video, con grupos como el GSIM (Grupo para el Apoyo a la Iglesia y los Musulmanes) y el Estado Islámico del Gran Sahara responsables de ataques que han causado miles de muertes. El guion explora cómo estos grupos operan, sus tácticas de ataque y sus objetivos, destacando la gravedad de la situación y la dificultad de la vida en áreas afectadas por el terrorismo.

💡Grupos terroristas

Los grupos terroristas en Burkina Faso, como se menciona en el guion, incluyen al GSIM y el Estado Islámico del Gran Sahara, que han establecido un clima de miedo y violencia. Estos grupos atacan a poblaciones civiles, escuelas, iglesias y mezquitas, y han causado una gran cantidad de desplazados y muertes, lo que ha puesto a Burkina Faso en una de las posiciones más afectadas por el terrorismo a nivel mundial.

💡Desplazados

El término 'desplazados' se refiere a las personas que han sido forzadas a abandonar sus hogares debido a la violencia y la inseguridad. En el guion, se menciona que en 2022 había alrededor de dos millones de personas desplazadas por el terrorismo en Burkina Faso, y se espera que la cifra haya aumentado. Esto ilustra la magnitud del problema y el impacto humano de la violencia en el país.

💡Cambio climático

El cambio climático se discute como un factor que agrava la situación en Burkina Faso, exacerbando la escasez de recursos como la tierra y el agua. Esto lleva a un aumento de la tensión social y a la vulnerabilidad de comunidades y grupos étnicos, que pueden ser reclutados por grupos extremistas. El guion sugiere que el cambio climático es un factor subyacente que contribuye a la complejidad de los conflictos en la región.

💡Etnicidad y sociedad

La etnicidad y la sociedad en Burkina Faso son temas claves en el video, donde se explora cómo las tensiones y la marginalización de ciertos grupos étnicos, como los Fulani, han llevado a la radicalización y el terrorismo. El guion destaca cómo estas dinámicas sociales son fundamentales para entender las causas subyacentes de la violencia y cómo afectan la cohesión social y la estabilidad del país.

💡Gobierno y plan de acción

El guion menciona el plan de acción del gobierno de Burkina Faso para combatir el terrorismo, que incluye la declaración de una 'guerra absoluta' contra los terroristas y la expulsión de las fuerzas armadas francesas del país. Sin embargo, se cuestiona la efectividad de este enfoque, ya que ha incluido el reclutamiento de civiles poco entrenados y la dependencia de mercenarios extranjeros, lo que ha resultado en un alto número de bajas en el ejército nacional.

Highlights

Estamos en el norte de Costa de Marfil, a punto de cruzar la frontera con Burkina Faso.

Burkina Faso es conocido por su inestabilidad política, conflictos étnicos y crisis humanitarias.

El país es uno de los más afectados por el terrorismo en el mundo, con miles de muertes anuales.

La frontera con Burkina Faso a menudo se cierra debido a los conflictos y altercados dentro del país.

El documental busca investigar la situación de hambrunas, crisis humanitarias y los grupos terroristas activos.

La travesía a Burkina Faso es una de las metas del documentalista por años.

La frontera con Burkina es complicada, rodeada de camiones de carga y con un clima de desierto.

El cruce de la frontera fue inesperadamente fácil y sin controles rigurosos.

La historia reciente de Burkina Faso está marcada por golpes de Estado y asesinatos de presidentes.

Tomás Sankara, presidente asesinado en 1987, dejó un legado con proyectos educativos y sociales.

La situación política en Burkina Faso es de extrema inestabilidad con múltiples cambios de gobierno.

En 2022 y 2023, Burkina Faso experimentó un aumento en la violencia y muertes por terrorismo.

Transcripts

I must admit it's going to be an exciting day and whatever happens, it will be interesting.

Well, right now we are in Ivory Coast, more precisely in the north of Ivory

Coast. If we continue on this road, in fifteen or twenty minutes we will reach

the border with Burkina Faso.

We are going to enter Burkina Faso, a country where political instability reigns,

ethnic conflicts,

humanitarian crises, that make this territory practically one of the poorest

countries and one of the most dangerous countries in the whole world.

It is also probably the country most affected in the world by terrorism and its

violence, resulting in thousands of deaths a year. Not many people set out to

cross this border.

Among the few who attempt it, there are also some

many who do not succeed. This border is often kept closed because of the

conflicts in the country, there are many altercations. It also depends on the

situations inside, like the attacks....

Here, practically every day, every week, there are terrorist attacks, it's

normal now. I repeat thousands of people are killed every year by these

terrorist attacks by different groups.

This is what we are going to investigate. What is the situation regarding

famines, humanitarian crises, and the different terrorist groups operating and

their motives to do it

The ways they attack the population and what are their main objectives. This

dangerous country was also one of my goals that I wanted to document and be able

to show you for years and here we are. That's why I'm also excited to enter.

In fact, we are very close to the border with Burkina Faso. So here we are

approaching the Sahel, the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. That's why the

situation starts to change.

The ecosystem in Ivory Coast, we have been documenting for many days tribal

rituals, dances with masks

Ceremonies of all kinds in an almost jungle-like setting.

It has been a few beautiful days of joy, dances, tribal rituals, and culture.

Here we are entering a much more desert-like climate.

Being a border, we are surrounded by cargo trucks. And well, what I say, this

border is complicated. So we're going to try to cross it, but we have to keep

the cameras in the backpack. Let's see if we can record a bit with the phones.

And in Burkina, we continue.

Let's see how this day unfolds.

We are now already in Burkina, inside Burkina Faso.

The border has been quite strange,because crossing was

very easy. They didn't check us at all, nothing.

I only have to show them a clothes bag and that's it

They didn't even check our passports at all.

So well, we are already in the villages. We have traveled lots of miles on the road.

We are replenishing energy with some chicken and couscous. They didn't check our

visa, nor do we have the passport stamp. They didn't check anything. And that's

a problem for leaving the country.

So, before starting to document everything, we need to find in the next city,

which is Banfora,

the police station and get that stamp. Like, I don't know

strange border, almost too easy to cross.

So let's replenish energy and continue, but for the moment we are inside.

Well, from Banfora, the first city after the Burkina Faso border,

I would like to talk a bit about the history of this country, at least the most

recent history,

to understand a bit more about the causes and reasons

for this situation that we can find ourselves in nowadays

To have a context of everything that has happened in these lands. Like every

French colony, it became independent in nineteen sixty.

It was just that during that particular time, the country was known as Upper Volta.

Between the sixties and the nineties, specifically nineteen ninety, there was a

series of coups, governments were overthrown, and presidents were assassinated,

among which I must highlight one specific name: Tomás Sancara, known as the

president of the poor people. His brief government took place only between

nineteen eighty-three and nineteen eighty-seven.

In this short period of time in which he governed, he started an ambitious

education project in which the literacy rate of the population went from

thirteen percent

to seventy-three percent.

in just four years. We are talking about the construction of schools, railways,

roads, and the redistribution of land to farmers.

He banned forced marriages and also prohibited female genital mutilation.

In fact, for the very first time in the country, women received protection and

recognition in society.

Even female figures are incorporated into governmental circles. Again, repeating

history, he was betrayed, overthrown and assassinated in nineteen eighty-seven.

But it was also during his mandate that an important event took place. In

nineteen hundred and eighty-four, the name Upper Volta became Burkina Faso, the

current name of the territory.

Burkina Faso signifies the land of men who are full of integrity.

Between the nineties and the two-thousands, there was a series of massive

elections, but they were also very controversial and disputed.

which ended in two thousand fourteen with another coup.

and again the same thing, a phase begins again that lasts until today's times.

With more coups, violence, and overthrown governments.

The political instability here is extreme.

on the twenty-fourth of January two thousand and twenty-two another coup was

staged, a military coup take the power and dissolved the government, the

Parliament, and the Constitution

A few months later, on September thirtieth,

another coup occurred. Ibrahim Traoré, who indeed is the

nterim president, the current leader,

became the head of state. And this is the current political situation we have today.

Pure instability,

conflicts among ethnic groups that are established here and humanitarian crises,

as mentioned before,

which cause

a perfect breeding ground for the resurgence of these terrorist groups that are

devastating the local population.

You won't believe what has just happened right now, at this very moment.

We are leaving the police station. They have called the chief of the border patrol.

and he said no, no, that all the strange things that happened, that they didn't

check our vis

and they didn't stamp our passports, it's because they had completely forgotten.

They took our photo and did the fingerprint check, but they completely forgot to

ask us about the visa.

So we have to go back to the border. We are heading back to the border. These

things happen in these countries.

Burkina is a special journey. No matter how you look at it

It's important to stay aware of this, the mobile phone, its a way to know what's

happening around you, everywhere and at every moment. Terrorism is an invisible

danger that can arise

in any place, at any given time, unexpectedly.

While it's true, the most affected areas are the north and the east, and we are

now in the south and the west,

We canceled the route we had prepared for today because there are some terrorist

commands in the Gagua area, which is where we were heading.

The day is completely ruined.

The good part, another significant topic always in places like this, the passport.

And take a look at what I have here. We already have the exit stamp

from the Ivory Coast

and the entry into Burkina

So, what is happening? Well, we know that there are, we were told just this

morning, that there are

terrorist groups in those areas that we wanted to visit and document. The

terrorists groups move almost like nomads, setting up camps on the roads, and

their modus operandi is

screw the government and the population. They destroy everything.

Already in two thousand twenty-two, Burkina was the country in the world with

the highest number of deaths caused by terrorism.

Already in two thousand and twenty-two, it has been getting worse. There were

even more in two thousand twenty-three. I say they count in thousands each year.

In two thousand and eighteen, there were only a few thousand people displaced by terrorism.

In two thousand twenty-two, there were around two million and now there must be

more than three million. The situation is catastrophic.

Burkina is in all these negative indices above other dangerous countries like

Niger, Nigeria, Mali, like Somalia...

This is, as of today, one of the foremost hubs of terrorism globally, if not the

top one. Right now, we are in the month of March of two thousand and twenty-four

Just this past February twenty-fifth, less than a month ago, in merely one

weekend, on that very day of February twenty-fifth, there were three terrorist

attacks that caused over two hundred deaths.

Here, a terrorist attack might not take just one life, but one hundred fifty.

They attack schools, they attack churches, they attack mosques, and they destroy

roads and highways.

In fact, after these terrorist attacks on February twenty-fifth, all the schools

and colleges across the country had to be closed.

I don't know if right now, at the moment, they remain closed.

All the schools across the nation

These attacks are mostly carried out by two terrorist groups.

The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, which their acronym is GSIM,

are the commands or the delegation of Al-Qaeda in these regions, and the Islamic

State of the Greater Sahara.

The delegation of the ISIS, of the Daesh

We must take into account that the government of Burkina Faso controls

barely fifty percent of the territory.

In the government-controlled territory

many terrorist attacks occur frequently.

In the areas that are controlled by the terrorists, there are actually very few

attacks carried out by the government.

This means that the initiative is still being taken by the terrorists.

It is also worth remembering a tragic event that occurred in the year two

thousand twenty-two.

Two Spanish journalists,

famous, known by many of you surely, their names are David Berriáin and Roberto

Freire, and they were murdered by the GAIM

right in those eastern regions of the country, which are controlled by the

terrorists. They encountered one of the camps,

gunfire broke out and they were executed.

Right now, nowadays, dozens of cities throughout Burkina Faso have been or are

being controlled, attacked, and besieged by these terrorist commandos.

There is no road, just a track,

right,

it's a short path that...

they have told me that about now.

Alright, alright, okay. So there is a path that is impossible to cross and maybe

others that are passable. Well, the important part of that is that we can reach

Uagadugú to take that plane.

But well, we'll... we'll see what can we do. If any area is dangerous, we'll

change our plans and go somewhere else.

Well, I'll say it now. If in this report we can't show much of this territory,

I'm sorry.

I would love to document other kinds of things, other kinds of places, but the

areas where we can move here are very limited.

That area was supposed to be safe, but now we can't go. We'll see what we can

do. Whatever we manage to do, you'll see. That's how it will be here.

Also, yesterday the timing chain of the car got screwed up, so it's in the

workshop right now. We don't have time for misfortunes. But well, here we go.

During our stay in Burkina, we are also going to try to study different

villages, different ethnic groups. The ethnic diversity of this country, like

the Ivory Coast, is very rich.

Here there are more than sixty ethnic groups, and natural areas too. We are on

our way to a waterfall that the locals in Banfora recommended us

And what we have here are mango trees

Both Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso countries, at least in this area, are full of

mango trees. But look at these, they are enormous.

Here it is forbidden to cut them down and, as we've been told, they were planted

by the French colonists. But look closely

at the size of these trees, the giant mango trees. This place is full of mangoes.

So many negative things, it was time for something positive. Look at this.

One wouldn't expect to find a waterfall of this magnitude here, especially in

the dry season. Look at this. Remnants of the floods. See how far the water reaches

after the season of heavy rains.

Well, so from the old mosque in this small city known as Bobo Dioulasso, in

Burkina Faso around sixty percent of its population is Muslim,

a bit more than twenty percent are Christian, and around fifteen percent follow

ancient African traditions and beliefs, known as animism.

You should also know that the situation is critical in this country not only due

to the lack of security in political life and street-level insecurity,

but also due to poverty and humanitarian crises, including severe hunger.

Despite being Africa's fourth-largest gold producer, Burkina Faso is among the

ten poorest countries in the world.

Burkina has a population of around twenty-two million people, of which around

the forty percent of them are living or, better said, trying to survive in this

conflictive territory,

in conditions of extreme poverty.

More than twenty percent are also in intermediate poverty state, and another

twenty percent of the population live in moderate poverty.

To give you an idea of the situation and to continue with these devastating statistics,

around forty percent of the population here survives on just over a single dollar

per day.

Twenty percent of the population, a bit more than four million people,

needs humanitarian aid. In fact, the life expectancy in this African country

barely exceeds sixty years. As I have said many times, things that happen here

like armed groups, political instability, lack of resources,

but also another important thing,

the lack of basic services. Over three million people face a severe shortage of

food and basic supplies

More than two million people

lack any kind of healthcare. At the moment, malnutrition is actually the main

cause of thirty-five percent of child mortality in Burkina Faso.

It is estimated that more than three hundred thousand young children, under five

years old, suffer from acute malnutrition.

Also in this situation are estimated more than seventy thousand pregnant or

nursing women. Here in the south, there are still some crops,

there is still food in this area here, there is still some prosperity for local

families settled in the south. As we move towards the north, in Sahel, the

desert areas,

the Sahara Desert,

the situation becomes much more complicated. Now we must leave the mosque

because prayer time is starting. The locals will begin to arrive soon.

This is the women's side, over there is the men's side. We are going to head towards

the old town, the ancient city part.

I must admit that I am enjoying today's journey, even though we started the day

off with a damn big problem.

Because we are going to visit some tribal areas, and being in Burkina, few

people come. The Lobi nation, known as the Lobi country,

and the Ghan ethnic group.

Villages, gold prospectors,

but we have had to stay here in Bobo.

We can't go to the tribes because there are terrorists. We can't film much in

the city because they are Muslims and don't like it.

Also because the atmosphere is tense, it's obvious.

This is not a powder keg like the north, but insecurity is felt in the streets

today. We can't go because there are terrorists. Well,

how do terrorists attack?

They are lightning-fast attacks. They arrive with motorcycles or cars, armed,

and it doesn't last more than five or ten minutes. They kill as much as they can

and leave. Why do they leave?

To avoid having to face the army

and also because the military scans the areas with drones, and they are aware of

it. The drones arrive quickly. So they come, kill, and leave. They come, kill,

and leave.

And chasing them is also difficult because many times, apart from the fact that

they are armed,

as happens with insurgencies in all countries, they dress as civilians. This is

not an army.

In fact, regarding this, there's another point of interest

which is that according to Human Rights,

the Burkina Faso government, through these drone attacks, has also caused the

death of even dozens of local civilians in its own country at times.

Though I also wonder about

how much can be seen if they are civilians or not.

Purely civilians, meaning, within local families, there are also collaborators

of them, there are also informants of the terrorist groups, and even the

terrorists themselves often dress as civilians.

There is much confusion, many incidents. Here, everything happens very quickly everywhere.

There is no battlefront; instead, terrorist attacks are happening all over the

entire country, and one ends up getting confused about who the enemy is and who

is on your side, right?

It is difficult to find supporters in a country where literally anyone can be

an enemy, and some of these terrorists' premeditated attacks are aimed at

preventing the arrival of food supplies,

very often directly breaking and destroying the roads and highways.

They focus directly on stopping the arrival of food and supplies to families and

villages, especially in the north and east of the country.

So we will stay and rest a bit here, in Bobo, because there's no time left to

continue and we also can't go out much here.

So we will rest today and we will continue tomorrow. We hope to reach Uagadugú,

if the road conditions allow it,

to the capital city.

It's crazy how noticeable the difference is,

how we notice the change and evolution of these landscapes of the ecosystem as

we are getting closer to the north, heading to Uagadugú, the capital city of

Burkina Faso

This is a damn desert, it's a barren wasteland.

Every once in a while, we come across a lagoon, and since it is the dry season,

the animals appear very emaciated. We also see more people begging on the streets.

and it's very hard for us to film in the small villages we pass through because

when we stop, and all of that, and suddenly all eyes are on us.

because few people have seen anyone like us pass by

these kinds of villages.

We can't deviate much into rural areas to avoid running into those we don't want

to meet

those we want to avoid.

So, we have another couple of hours by car to the capital of the country. So

let's see what we find in the main city of a country like Burkina.

We are now walking through the streets of Uagadugú, the capital

and here the problem is even bigger for filming because first, we couldn't visit

the tribes due to terrorists.

then, being Muslims, they don't like being filmed, especially if there are

women, and here it's full of police and military soldiers who dislike being

recorded even more than the others.

Moreover, we get into trouble if we do.

Well, we are following the instructions given when we entered the country. Never

reveal our destination to keep our route secret and not say we're French because

they hate them.

So let's continue.

We have before us an impossible mission to accomplish, at least for now, at this moment.

These places are like a powder keg, they are changing suddenly. It depends on

the situation, if you enter today, tomorrow, or the next day; you can film or not.

you can move along that road or not

or you encounter a military checkpoint or not.

At this moment, right now, recording here is extremely complicated.

Besides the route changes, there's the intense heat.

I drink liters and liters of water daily and barely pee because I sweat it all

out. It's crazy, I'm covered in dust. The dust chokes you, stains your face, everything.

You choke on the dust in the air around.

Then we arrive in Uagadugú city, and it's full of police and soldiers. They've

followed and watched us through all the streets.

We've passed through several police stations, being... being taken from one to another.

talking with the chiefs, who are something like police leaders, while we're just

walking with cameras in a local market, not even recording a complicated or

violent area.

It's understandable, this is not a complaint or criticism, it's understandable.

The situation here is very complicated, and it's understandable they prioritize security.

I'm just saying that...

It is truly an impossible mission.

Yes, these past days have helped us to investigate more thoroughly,

at least indoors, with the people we have encountered for the moment, talking in

some restaurants, talking with people in various markets,

a bit about the situation, also the reasons for these terrorists to attack as

they do.

I have to speak softly because there are also some people around, and certain

keywords are the same in Spanish, English, and French, so, well, we have also to

talk carefully

¿The reasons for terrorists to kill are religion and political issues? The

reality is that

there's a much more complicated background because often it's an ethnic and

social issue.

The government crushes, persecutes, and complicates excessively the lives of

some ethnic groups like the Fulani, the Pol

We have lived with them in Benin and in Mali,

they are all over the Sahel territory. They are a nomadic and semi-nomadic group

in the Sahel, like the Touareg in Mali, we talked about it in the two thousand twenty-one.

Here it's the same, they are out of the system, the forgotten of the country,

and it's studied that most or many terrorist commands are Fulani.

who basically do this as revenge against the government, for ruining their lives.

It is revenge, it's a social issue and here that is the problem.

And as if that weren't enough, it complicates things more, again, something

we've discussed many times on the channel, once more, climate change.

Increasingly, a terrible situation is experienced, which is the struggle for

limited resources, scarce goods like land and water,

which fosters social tension, more and more social tension, and some

communities, ethnic groups,

some areas of the country become increasingly vulnerable and in those conditions

they end up joining these radical groups.

What is the current government plan to combat this critical situation?

The current head of state, Ibrahim Traoré, declared a total and absolute war

against terrorism.

He just expelled the French army from the country. He also said the Burkinabe

army would achieve victory, with the assistance of the Russians, the Wagner mercenaries

I don't know what the situation is now with the ongoing war in Ukraine that

still continues and continues

The reality is that we could label the plan, at least for now, as an absolute

disaster. Ibrahim Traoré recruited civilians and armed them.

Most were shepherds who knew the terrain, we are talking about fifty thousand men.

An army that was poorly trained, inadequately prepared, and with no real

experience in the field of battle,

fighting against a powerful enemy that is as complex as ISIS group or Al Qaeda.

Most attacks occur in civilian areas of the part, let's say, controlled by the

government and increasingly closer to the capital city, to Uagadugú city

However, the government's action in terrorist zones of the country is

practically minimal, minimal,

and there are twice as many casualties in the national army forces than in the radicals.

That said,

locals have told us more than once since we are here, and this would be a

positive point really,

that something is changing, that they are

feeling the beginning of a change

because they are making the borders more rigid, stricter, and less porous.

The borders of Burkina, Mali, Niger, there is that triangle of death and

terrorists flow and jump between the three countries, that triple border.

If Mali's army attacks, they move to another country, if they attack from

Burkina, they jump to Niger.

The border is too porous, there is no control, just like between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Here they inform me that they are making the border significantly stricter and

much less porous so that they can no longer do that and that the armies

of the three nations can corner them, which now in fact are also having that

international cooperation, they are acting together,

and this could be an ace up the sleeve that tips the balance, changing the situation.

And hopefully it will be so, especially for the locals.

Here it is very complicated to record and be present, not just because of the

army, not just because of being Muslims regarding cameras, women, and more.

Also, this is not a life to live.

What exists in this country now is not life,

when it is basically surviving

from hunger, from thirst,

from insecurity.

So then

We are now in our final hours here. I hope to return to this country, and I am

sure I will.

I hope to find myself in another kind of situation and I also hope to reach

these tribal areas and be able to document other topics besides terrorism and misery.

Stay tuned to the channel, this will keep going on. Thanks and see you next time.