REFLEXIVE PEACE PRACTICE (RPP) PROJECT

The reporting period was marked by a stark contrast between political progress and persistent insecurity in Burkina Faso. The first session of the AES Confederal Parliament was formally installed in Niamey with 45 deputies from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, deepening political integration outside ECOWAS. However, security remained critical as JNIM claimed control of a military outpost near Tougui and a coordinated IED ambush killed soldiers and destroyed vehicles in the Centre-Nord region, directly challenging the government's narrative of territorial reconquest. Defence Minister Simporé publicly declared that terrorism "will soon be in the history books," but ground realities reveal persistent grey zones where armed groups continue to operate freely. Humanitarian concerns are compounded by the Bagré Dam spillage threatening downstream communities, while diplomatic engagement with Nigeria and the UN continued alongside the deepening AES integration process.