11/24/2020 Burkina Faso (International Christian Concern) – Burkina Faso held its first round of voting this past week for the presidential and legislative elections. The current President, Roch Kabore, is expected to win again this year after having served his first five years in the position. This election comes as the country is undergoing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Multiple extremist groups have moved into and taken land in Northern Burkina Faso. These groups have killed hundreds of people over the past several years and have displaced more than a million more.
Fear of these attacks and groups has made it dangerous for voters throughout the East and North of the country to go to voting stations. President Kabore has called “on all Burkinabe to vote, whatever their leaning. It’s about the democracy of Burkina Faso, it’s about development, it’s about peace.” Despite this, Kabore and his government have been unable to quell the attacks that have rocked so many of their people. They have also not given a reasonable belief that polling stations are safe in the areas that have been seized by extremists. Unless the government shows a higher capability of arresting those responsible for attacks and a better ability to protect their citizens, it is unlikely that many people will feel safe to vote.
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