Lali is not Burkina Faso. However, they face the same problem: terrorist attacks that threaten to partition their country. And in the management of this crisis, these two States are developing the same types of reactions. They have become very finicky, even suspicious of certain partners and organizations that they suspect of not really being on their side. Consequences, the clashes multiply, accelerating the deterioration of diplomatic and working relations. The latest is the quid pro quo on the WFP airlift to relieve populations isolated from the rest of the country. The government wishes to exercise a right of scrutiny over the contents of the aircraft and the beneficiaries of the 10,000 T of food. In fact, the government would like more transparency, all of which runs counter to the WFP’s practices in terms of neutrality in assisting people in distress. The authorities no longer want to be caught by the backhand, because the suspicions regarding the connections supposed between the French forces and the terrorists or the liberties taken by the former coordinator of the United Nations System by moving in an area under the influence of the Hani are still in people’s minds. All in all, this quid pro quo makes no sense, if both parties are truly in good faith. If their will is really to serve the needy.
Par Abdoulaye TAO
