Burkina Faso: Quebec volunteer program 'intensifies' security measures

The directorof a Quebec-based volunteer program in Burkina Faso says the group has no plans to leave their work in West Africa, but will strengthen its security policies followinglast weekend's attack on a hotel and caf popular with foreigners.

Uniterra,part of theInternational Centre for Studies and Cooperation in Montreal, has been working on development programs in Burkina Faso andother West African countriesfor several years.

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Director OdetteMcCarthysaid volunteers based in Burkina Fasohadnotedincreased security concernsonthe border with Mali in recent years.However, the attack inOugadougou, which left 29 people dead, came asa shock, she said.

Six Quebecers on a humanitarian mission with the Congrgation des surs de Notre-Dame du Perptuel Secours, a religious congregation based in nine different countries, were among those killed.

Security ramped up

For itspart,McCarthy said Uniterratries tocommunicate clearly with volunteers about the risks involved in the work, especially zones in the country which they were not allowed to visit.

"There were recommendations to avoid obviously public places, places where foreigners are to go, but that directive is definitely being intensified in terms of having a very clear list of places not to go,"McCarthy said.

"The rise of terrorist acts, randomly choosing targets in different countries acrossthe world,is going to shape the way that we inform people, and we prepare them and the security measures we have in place.Our organization and many others are going to continue to adjust to this new reality."

Global risk

Many countriesin Western Africa rely on assistance and support from humanitarian groups, McCarthy said.

"This is a risk that is global, and so we haveto be attentive that we're not over-penalizingsome of the poorer countries and at the same time as organizations that we're really doing the best that we can do to ensure their security."

She noted that there are advisories for travellers visiting many destinations.

"You know people are still going on vacation to Europe, to France and yetthere are the same types of advisories on the Canadian government sites," she said.

Currently, the Canadian government has an advisoryto "exercise a high degree of caution" in Burkina Faso with regional advisories about travel near the Mali border. Canada has a similar advisory for France and Belgium.