Several personalities from the town of Banfora have expressed their wishes for the new year 2024. From the Governor of the region to the head of the Canton, including the Bishop and the President of the special municipal delegation, all have one wish: The return of peace in Faso. Read instead!
Badabouè Florent Bazié, Governor of the Cascades
“Let us put all our energies into restoring the integrity of the territory”
“The year 2023 which is coming to an end was marked by the fight against terrorism which takes away our affection from valiant daughters and sons, impacts our living together and undermines development efforts. At the same time, 2023 will have been dominated by the hope of a new, free and sovereign Burkina Faso, which assumes its choices and socio-political orientations with dignity and integrity. This hope is reinforced by the effective reconquest of certain localities, accompanied by the gradual return of the Administration and the populations. On the threshold of the New Year 2024, which promises to be a pivotal year in the realization of this hope, I express my wishes for peace, health, happiness and prosperity to each of you. I pay vibrant tribute to the fighting forces engaged in the reconquest of the national territory. I salute the patriotic courage of all these worthy sons and daughters who fell on the field of honor, and express my compassion to their families. To the injured, I wish a speedy recovery. The challenges of the moment, especially those relating to security, require us to break with attitudes that fuel social tensions. I hope that the expression of any pretension or demand, however legitimate it may be, is in line with the principles which govern our State and the values which are the basis of our living together. Seizing this opportunity, I express my gratitude to all actors who are constantly working for peace in the region. I express my gratitude to all the individuals and legal entities in the region who have contributed to the peace effort. I encourage all populations to maintain this patriotic momentum. Let’s face this new year with great optimism. Let us put all our energies at the service of restoring the integrity of the territory, peace and the success of the agropastoral and fisheries offensive aimed at food self-sufficiency.”
Fadouah Il, head of Canton of Banfora
“Let us all be peacemakers”
“I wish a happy new year 2024. Peace in Faso and especially in the Cascades to which the canton of Banfora falls. To the Defense and Security Forces (FDS) as well as to the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), to the dozo, as well as to all the brothers and sisters who are committed, whatever their situation, to defense of the homeland. I pray that the good Lord and the spirits of our ancestors will always be at their side to protect them against evil and help them defeat the forces of evil that mourn us every day. For the canton of Banfora, I invite the sons and daughters, the diaspora to sacred union for a return of peace to Burkina Faso. So let us be united around us and let us all be peacemakers. Also, I do not forget to say thank you to Captain Ibrahim Traoré, president of Faso and his government. The canton of Banfora supports the actions undertaken by the transition.”
Monsignor Lucas Kalifa Sanou, Bishop of Banfora
“We pray that this year every IDP returns home”
“2023 was the year of jubilees during which the Diocese of Banfora celebrated its 25 years of existence. There were many other jubilees including the 60th anniversary of Saint Peter’s Church in Banfora, the cathedral which also celebrated its 25th anniversary as well as several people who had 25 years of ordination or religious profession. We have marked this throughout the year since January 3, 2023 when this jubilee was opened and with the summit on December 15 and 16. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the entire population of the Cascades region for these celebrations which were truly moments of thanksgiving, for everything that the Lord, the Almighty has done for us in 25 years. As you know, we conceived the creation of this diocese as an opportunity for evangelization. And when saying evangelization, we must not think only of the religious aspect. To evangelize is to work for the development of every man and of the whole man; therefore all dimensions of man. In 25 years, a lot has been achieved. We thank the Lord for this. And all year long, we truly sang our thanksgiving to the Almighty. Now that we are in a new year, I would like to recall what we said. We said that this jubilee is an opportunity for thanksgiving to take stock but above all to move forward in the same direction and there is always a lot of work to be done. It is in this sense that I invite the entire population of the Cascades region to enter into this movement which was triggered by the transitional government, namely popular shareholding. We can only develop ourselves. In this sense, everyone is invited to work so that the region always progresses. I wish the entire population, Christians, Muslims and those who are in traditional religion, my best wishes for a happy new year, a happy new year in 2024. May 2024 see the end of the difficulties that we experienced during 2023. These difficulties are primarily terrorism which has caused many problems in our country. There were deaths. And we think of all these deaths while asking the Lord to welcome them. There were many internally displaced people. I alluded to this in my Christmas homily and we ask everyone to help welcome them, to alleviate their suffering. We hope that 2024 will see the return of everyone to their ordinary place of life.”
Yacouba Barro, PDS of Banfora
“It’s time for us to come together around the essentials”
“I would like, on behalf of the special municipal delegation of Banfora, to wish the entire population of the municipality of Banfora my best wishes for health, longevity, success and above all tranquility. May the Almighty, through his mercy, help us bring peace and security to our dear homeland. I would also like to wish a speedy recovery to all those who are ill. At these times, I am thinking in particular of our volunteers for the defense of the homeland (VDP) and our Defense and Security Forces (FDS) who are fighting night and day against this war that has been imposed on us. May God protect them and accompany them in this struggle. We are convinced that this war is drawing to a close. This is the time for us to come together around what is essential in social cohesion. I invite the populations of the beautiful city of Black Peasant to exercise caution in traffic and to show more solidarity, especially towards Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).”
