Ouagadougou: Inmates from the Ouagadougou Detention and Correction Center (MACO) and the high-security prison, accompanied by agents of the Ministry of Justice, cleaned the Moogho Naba Canal in Ouagadougou on Saturday to sanitize the area and protect the health of local residents.

According to Burkina Information Agency, these community service activities were part of the second edition of the Days of Patriotic Commitment and Civic Participation. The initiative involved inmates from MACO as part of community service, while those from the high-security prison participated as part of reintegration and deradicalization efforts, explained the Minister of Justice, Edasso Rodrigue Bayala.

Students from the Prison Security Guards (GSP) school and agents from the Ministry of Justice also took part in this activity. The minister emphasized the importance of a healthy environment in protecting public health. He attributed last year's outbreaks of diseases like malaria and dengue fever to the unclean surroundings.

The minister expressed his disappointment over the lack of participation from local residents in this "patriotic act" intended to "defend, protect, and preserve" the environment for future generations. To combat littering in the canal, he announced plans to establish a surveillance brigade in collaboration with the municipal police, providing a toll-free number to report and punish offenders.

In addition to the cleanup, the Minister of Justice planted trees along the canal's edges, further contributing to the environmental efforts.