29 juillet 2026

La version française ci-dessous As part of its efforts to prevent violent extremism and promote peace, the NGO YOUTH AWAKE launched a national tour of community football galas in sixteen border municipalities targeted by its project. The municipalities of Yoto 3 and Avé 2, in the Maritime Region, hosted the first stages of this initiative, which focuses on peace, living together, and social cohesion. This tour is part of the implementation of the project « Strengthening the Inclusion and Resilience of Youth and Women to Combat Violent Extremism and Terrorism, while Promoting Social Harmony and Sustainable Cohesion – Phase II. » The project is implemented by YOUTH AWAKE with financial support from the German Federal Foreign Office, through its IFA/zivik program. A tour of sixteen border townsThe tour includes organizing a community football gala in each of the sixteen border towns targeted by the project: Cinkassé 1, Cinkassé 2, Kpendjal 1, Kpendjal 2, Oti 1, Oti Sud 1, Binah 2, Dankpen 2, Dankpen 3, Mô 2, Tchamba 3, Wawa 1, Moyen-Mono 2, Yoto 3, Avé 2, and Golfe 5.Through this initiative, YOUTH AWAKE aims to use football as a tool for community mobilization, raising awareness, and fostering closer ties between communities. Each gala brings together teams representing the different districts of the town, along with administrative, municipal, traditional, and security authorities, youth, women, sports officials, and local residents. Beyond the competition, these matches provide an opportunity to spread messages about peace, fair play, mutual respect, tolerance, non-violence, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts. Yoto 3 mobilized around football and peaceIn the municipality of Yoto 3, the community gala brought together five clubs representing the five cantons of the municipality. The opening ceremony was presided over by the mayor, Mr. Dégbé Kokou, in the presence of administrative, municipal, traditional, and security authorities, and before a large crowd of local residents. The matches took place in a friendly atmosphere, characterized by fair play and respect between the teams. The winning team received a trophy, a ball, and a cash prize, while the other teams also received a ball and a cash prize. Players, coaches, and supporters thus demonstrated that football can transcend sporting rivalries to become a powerful tool for bringing communities together. Avé 2 Turns the Field into a Space for Dialogue and CohesionFollowing Yoto 3, the tour reached a new stage in the municipality of Avé 2, where the community gala took place on Friday, July 24, 2026. The competition brought together teams from the various cantons, in the presence of local and traditional authorities, sports officials, youth, women, and the general public. The event aimed to make football a space for dialogue, fraternity, and peacebuilding. Players, coaches, sports officials, and supporters were encouraged to prioritize fair play, discipline, respect for refereeing decisions, and non-violent communication. Awareness messages were also disseminated to prevent provocations, hate speech, and behaviors likely to create tension between players, supporters, or communities. The Avé 2 gala provided young people from the different cantons with a platform for meeting and interaction, while promoting responsible citizenship based on tolerance, respect for diversity, and solidarity. Sports Officials Transformed into Ambassadors of PeaceAs a prelude to the tour, the captains and coaches of the participating teams received training organized by YOUTH AWAKE, focusing on fair play, positive leadership, non-violent communication, violence prevention, and the peaceful management of conflicts in sports. They are now called upon to become true ambassadors of peace, capable of raising awareness among their players and supporters, preventing tensions, and promoting responsible behavior before, during, and after matches.Sport in the Service of Preventing Violent ExtremismFor YOUTH AWAKE, preventing violent extremism and terrorism is not solely the responsibility of the defense and security forces: it also requires the active participation of young people, women, families, local communities, community leaders, and civil society organizations. In this regard, football offers an accessible platform for bringing people together, creating spaces for dialogue, and disseminating messages of peace and social cohesion. “Through this national tour, we want to make football an instrument for peace education,” Dans le cadre de ses actions de prévention de l’extrémisme violent et de promotion de la paix, l’ONG YOUTH AWAKE a lancé une tournée nationale de galas communaux de football dans seize communes frontalières ciblées par son projet. Les communes de Yoto 3 et d’Avé 2, dans la région Maritime, ont accueilli les premières étapes de cette initiative placée sous le signe de la paix, du vivre-ensemble et de la cohésion sociale. Cette tournée s’inscrit dans la mise en œuvre du projet « Renforcement de l’inclusion et de la résilience des jeunes et des femmes pour lutter contre l’extrémisme violent et le terrorisme, tout en promouvant une harmonie sociale et une cohésion durable – Phase II ». Le projet est mis en œuvre par YOUTH AWAKE avec l’appui financier du ministère fédéral allemand des Affaires étrangères, à travers son programme IFA/zivik. Une tournée dans seize communes frontalières La tournée prévoit l’organisation d’un gala communal de football dans chacune des seize communes frontalières ciblées par le projet : Cinkassé 1, Cinkassé 2, Kpendjal 1, Kpendjal 2, Oti 1, Oti Sud 1, Binah 2, Dankpen 2, Dankpen 3, Mô 2, Tchamba 3, Wawa 1, Moyen-Mono 2, Yoto 3, Avé 2 et Golfe 5. À travers cette initiative, YOUTH AWAKE entend faire du football un outil de mobilisation communautaire, de sensibilisation et de rapprochement entre les populations. Chaque gala réunit les équipes représentant les différents cantons de la commune concernée, aux côtés des autorités administratives, communales, traditionnelles et sécuritaires, des jeunes, des femmes, des responsables sportifs et des populations locales. Au-delà de la compétition, ces rencontres sont l’occasion de diffuser des messages sur la paix, le fair-play, le respect mutuel, la tolérance, la non-violence et la gestion pacifique des conflits. Yoto 3 mobilisée autour du football et de la paix Dans la commune de Yoto 3, le gala communal a rassemblé cinq clubs représentant les cinq cantons de la commune. Le coup d’envoi a été donné par le maire, M.