Ouagadougou: The Laabal brigade is taking decisive steps to address urban begging by targeting healthy individuals who resort to soliciting alms. This initiative aims to transform these individuals into productive members of society, benefiting both themselves and the Burkinabe Nation.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the brigade has initiated efforts to engage beggars in meaningful labor. About ten individuals, apprehended from various locations across Ouagadougou, have been put to work in a bid to combat incivility and disorder. These beggars will spend a week participating in activities such as paving and clearing gutters, working from sunrise to sunset.

The leaders of the Laabal brigade emphasize that begging is prohibited, particularly for those who are physically capable. The objective of these tasks is to foster a work ethic and eradicate the dormant laziness that the brigade believes exists among these individuals. The brigade argues that begging contributes to crime and deprives the economy of able-bodied workers, pledging to enforce strict penalties on those who persist in begging.

Additionally, the Prosecutor of Faso at the Ouagadougou I High Court, Blaise Bazi, has issued a warning to Koranic teachers who compel their students, known as talibs, to beg. He highlighted the upcoming trial on November 19, 2025, of a Koranic teacher accused of severely punishing a thirteen-year-old talib for failing to collect sufficient alms.