Goulmou: The Goulmou region hosted the torch of the national solidarity campaign "DEME SIRA" on Monday, December 8, 2025, following its passage through the Nakambe region. This initiative, launched by the President of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traore, through the Ministry of National Solidarity, aims to mobilize the nation in support of internally displaced persons and vulnerable populations. Receiving the torch on behalf of the people of the Goulmou, Sirba, and Tapoa regions, the governor of the Goulmou region, Ram Joseph Kafando, expressed his "deep emotion" and hailed "a strong symbol of national solidarity" in a context of security and humanitarian crisis.
According to Burkina Information Agency, Ram Joseph Kafando reiterated that massive population displacements and human suffering require a constant collective commitment. For the governor, DEME SIRA refers to ancestral values that underpin Burkinabe cohesion: sharing, mutual aid, hospitality, joking kinship, and community work. "These endogenous values constitute the foundation that allows us to stand tall," he affirmed, before urging the three regions to mobilize customary and religious authorities, civil society leaders, young people, and women to uphold the spirit of solidarity.
Ram Joseph Kafando indicated that this torch is the symbol of our collective commitment. "It invites us to act together to support the most vulnerable and build a society where human dignity remains central," added Mr. Kafando, also expressing his gratitude to the Ministry in charge of humanitarian action for the trust placed in their regions. During the ceremony, a sum of 2,705,125 CFA francs was collected to support the cause.
The King of Goulmou, His Majesty Untaanba, welcomed the initiative, offered blessings, and encouraged the people to join it en masse. The chairman of the College of Dialogue and Mediation (CMD), Pastor Namihanla Albert Yonli, called on customary and religious communities, as well as the sons and daughters of the three regions, to make DEME SIRA a daily commitment. He stressed the need to strengthen social cohesion, to ease resentment through dialogue, and to support the Defense and Security Forces as well as the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland. According to Pastor Yonli, the Goulmou, in its diversity, must continue to show "that it remains standing, dignified and united despite adversity".