Burkina Faso Regional Program (BFRP) Bi-Weekly Report January 1-15, 2019

Since August 2018, the Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) has cleared 11 activities totaling $397,027. There are 21 activities currently pending, totaling $254,746. The OTI Influence Mapping Survey aims to map perceptions of influence, territorial control, and violent extremist organization (VEO) activity, as well as assess community cohesion and resilience in Niger and Burkina Faso. In Burkina Faso, Wave 1 of the Survey included 1,808 household surveys and 11 key informant interviews. The Wave 1 Report indicates that economic need is the top driver for joining VEO groups, with individuals citing the need for improved living standards and economic circumstances as the decisive factor. Other drivers include ignorance or lack of education and religious ideology, particularly among youth who are vulnerable to manipulation and recruitment by VEO groups. The BFRP's activity Opportunities for Youth is designed to provide economic alternatives to youth in the region. The activity will support 200 youth to sit for the civil service entrance exams in the summer, after learning about different civil service career paths and attending prep courses for the exams. This initiative aims to reduce the participation barrier to youth and families, providing them with economic alternatives to what extremists may offer. In the longer term, the activity may contribute to a more representative state workforce, with officials reflecting the ethnic makeup of the populations they serve. The State of Emergency declared on December 31, 2018, has been extended for an additional six months. The terms of the extension include restrictions on travel in the regions, authorization for the search of homes, expedited ability to store and deliver weapons, and the prohibition on public demonstrations or publications that entice support for VEOs. President Kabore has replaced the Chef d'Etat-major général des armées (CEMGA), Oumarou Sadou, with Brigadier General Moise Minoungou, which may indicate a lack of trust and dissatisfaction with the armed forces' response to the country's deteriorating security situation. The BFRP will continue to implement programming in the North and Sahel regions, with a focus on providing economic alternatives to youth and addressing the root causes of violent extremism. The OTI Influence Mapping Survey will continue with 14 focus group discussions over the next month, and a second wave of household surveys will be carried out in mid-2019.