Collective Iftar to Confront Extremism in Burkina Faso

Dozens of Muslim and Christian youth gathered in a public square in the capital, Ouagadougou, during sunset on Friday for a collective Iftar in support of religious tolerance during Ramadan, which coincides this year with Lent, at a time when their country is facing violent insurgency. Participants stated that the event, organized by a local group consisting of youths from different religions, involved Muslims and Christians sharing meals and performing prayers together as a symbolic gesture against extremist forces seeking to exploit ethnic and religious divisions. Winconi Damien Waidraogo, a Catholic and one of the main organizers of the event, said, "If two groups from different religions can coexist, many evils in society will end." He added, "We must go beyond (the barrier of) religion so that we can embrace the other as part of ourselves." Burkina Faso is one of several countries in West Africa facing an Islamist insurgency that has rooted itself in neighboring Mali and spread across various parts of the region over the past decade. About 64 percent of Burkina Faso's population professes Islam, while Christians account for 24 percent, according to a government census in 2019.