Screening of the good practice film on "The Federation of Civil Resistance Organisations of Gao: Uniting to Save Gao"

Since 2012, Mali has been facing a problem of insecurity and terrorist threats that are destabilising the North and Centre of the country. One of the most affected cities is Gao. But it is also considered a model of success in popular resistance and resilience, particularly among youth, to jihadism and violent extremism. After the liberation of the city by the French and Malian armies in 2013, young people from three popular resistance movements in Gao, "Nous Pas Bouger", "Les Patrouilleurs" and "Les Patriotes" (movements that emerged in 2012, in the midst of the crisis, under terrorist occupation) came together in a single entity created in 2017 called the Federation of Civil Resistance Organisations of Gao (F.O.R.C-G).

Since its creation in 2017, the F.O.R.C-G has been carrying out a multitude of citizen activities that are beginning to have good results. It acts for peace, security and development and makes living together, cohesion and reconciliation a reality in Gao.

To better understand this civic commitment of the people of Gao and to popularise their good practice of community resilience in the fight against violent extremism, the FES PSCC office in collaboration with FES Bamako commissioned the "Production of a film on the Federation of Civil Resistance Organisations in Gao (F.O.R.C-G)" with a view to encouraging political decision-makers at the sub-regional and continental levels to widen the discourse on collective security to all.

These screening sessions, which were attended by all social strata of Gao (administrative, municipal, political, military, religious, traditional authorities, civil society, and the general population), were moments of encounter and exchange of painful and tragic experiences of the dark period of occupation that this region experienced in 2012, first under the MNLA, then under the MUJAO.

The film, which is available in digital format, is accessible on the website and on the social networks of FES PSCC (Youtube, Facebook)