OUAGADOUGOU - In a significant academic evaluation last Thursday, Hamidou Sangla presented his thesis on Burkina Faso's public communication strategies in the battle against terrorism from 2015 to 2022 at Joseph Ki Zerbo University.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the research aimed to explore how effective communication could aid Burkina Faso in mitigating the terrorist threats it has faced since 2015. The thesis, titled 'Public communication in the face of the fight against terrorism in Burkina Faso over the period 2015-2022,' received a very honorable mention from the jury for its timeliness and the quality of analysis presented. Dr. Sangla highlighted that while Burkina Faso has engaged in military efforts, the state has largely neglected the development of a proactive public communication strategy. This lack has, in his view, resulted in a communicative approach that reacts more to terrorism than preventing it.

The research criticizes the Burkina Faso government's lack of a structured operational communication strategy since the initial terrorist attacks in December 2015. Dr. Sangla pointed out that this reactive stance has not only failed to adequately inform the citizens about the security issues but has also contributed to a significant erosion of trust between the government and the governed. The absence of preemptive communication has further led to misinformation and the spread of hate speech, intensifying the national crisis.

Dr. Sangla proposes that the government should adopt a preventive communication framework aimed at educating the public on the realities of terrorism and the importance of security, which could play a crucial role in countering violent extremism. The doctoral jury, led by Professor Serge Théophile Balima and including several notable academics from Joseph Ki-Zerbo University and Félix Houphouët-Boigny University in Ivory Coast, endorsed the findings and recommendations of the thesis.