Weeks after Togo recorded its first case of COVID 19 in March 2020, Azizi Sedou noticed a deterioration in the relationship between youth and authorities in and around Cinkassé town in Togo’s Savanes region.
“There was tension because the civilians did not understand why they had to close down their businesses or stay indoors,” he recalls.
Preventive measures to curb the spread of the virus—including the banning of mass gatherings, le closing of markets and businesses, and border closures—had started to take a toll on the economic and social well-being of the population as attempts to resist or enforce these orders often resulted in violent confrontations between security agencies and youth.
The frequent clashes concerned Azizi—he was often called on to intervene on behalf of the youth à resolve these conflicts and saw first-hand how the situation negatively affected social cohesion.
“Everyone was afraid that the situation would escalate,” he admitted.
Depuis son retour à Cinkassé après avoir obtenu un diplôme en gestion des ressources humaines de l'université de Lomé, Azizi had become a respected youth leader in his community. Outre son activisme pour apaiser les tensions entre les jeunes et les autorités, he was also an advocate for the inclusion of and non-discrimination against persons living with disabilities. As a child, Aziz survived polio, but left him unable to use his legs. Cependant, this did not stop him from pursuing his dreams of providing others with disabilities the same opportunities he was given.
« J’ai remarqué que les personnes handicapées étaient discriminées, et ainsi comme l'un des rares diplômés universitaires handicapés, Je voulais changer ce récit,” Aziz notes.
Azizi’s activism secured him a spot as one of 120 des représentants de la jeunesse recevront une formation sur la prévention de l'extrémisme violent, consolidation de la paix, cohésion sociale, and early warning, un USAID/OTI initiative facilitated by Timbuktu Institute et organized by Togo’s National Youth Council.
Après la première formation, Azizi was again selected, aux côtés 19 other promising youth leaders, to participate in an advanced advocacy and conflict-sensitive communication session. “After the training is when I became a spokesperson for the youth, irrespective of their abilities, I understood what was meant by violent extremism, how the ongoing conflicts made our community vulnerable, and how to prevent violent extremism,» explique cher, who now goes from house to house to sensitize his peers and son community about the need for social cohesion, early warning and preventing violent extremism.
Azizi and his peers from the training have engaged more than 1,000 hommes, femmes, and youth across Togo’s Savanes Region and continue to reach more residents. À la suite de ces engagements, there has been an improvement in the relationship between the authorities and jeunesse, observed by greater collaboration between both parties for information sharing and providing security updates.
"M.y dream is of Cinkassé where everyone is at peace, où il y a cette cohésion sociale, il n'y a pas de préjugés basés sur les ethnies, statut social ou handicap,” Azizi concludes.