L©raba: The President of the special delegation of the commune of Ou©leni, Salif Sandwidi, presided over the opening ceremony of a training program for hunters of the dozo brotherhood in Ou©leni. This rural commune is situated 30km west of the urban commune of Sindou, the capital of the province of L©raba. The event took place on Saturday, February 14, 2026.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the ceremony was themed "The contribution of the hunters of the Dozo brotherhood to the security of the national territory and to social cohesion in the context of the fight against terrorism in Burkina Faso." The training was initiated to educate the traditional dozo hunters on mechanisms for citizen participation in securing the national territory. This is to be achieved through collaboration with the Defense and Security Forces (FDS), Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), community leaders, and local populations.

Magistrate Diakalia Traor©, Deputy Attorney General at the Court of Appeal of Bobo Dioulasso, mentioned that the initiative stemmed from the specific context of the commune of Ou©leni. Ou©leni is located on a transborder strip involving Mali, Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso, working closely with administrative, military, and paramilitary authorities.

The Binkadi association of dozos from Ou©leni, alongside colleagues from other regions under the guidance of the local grand master of the dozo brotherhood, S©ydou Ouattara, organized the training. Six modules were introduced to participants, with two presented by Magistrate Traor©. These included collaboration rules with FDS and VDP, self-protection techniques, defense, early warning against terrorist threats, and adherence to social cohesion principles in local security operations.

Mr. Traor© emphasized the importance of equipping dozos with early warning techniques for defense and self-protection in terrorist incidents. He also advocated for creating an informal platform for interactive exchanges among dozos, VDP, local authorities, FDS, and customary and religious leaders.

Daouda Traor©, the grand master of the dozo brotherhood, highlighted the need for good collaboration with the FDS, VDP, and administrative authorities, in addition to arms training. Salif Sandwidi expressed his satisfaction with the commune's stance, noting the appropriateness of the training for the dozos.