Surrounded by war, Burkinabe civilians have votes taken away

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso – Voters in Burkina Faso are due to head to the polls next month to select the country’s president, in the second general election since a popular uprising in 2014 overthrew longtime ruler Blaise Compaore. But not everyone will be able to cast their ballots. Wracked by a worsening conflict pitting government forces and international troops against various armed groups linked to ISIL and al-Qaeda, the country’s government ruled it unsafe for registration to take place in 17.4 percent of its electoral communes. As a result, more than 400,000 people were unable to register for the November 22 vote. The election has been allowed to go ahead despite the failure to register voters after the passing of a new law on August 25 stating that a “force majeure”, such as the conflict, is an acceptable reason not to hold voter registration. The vast majority of the communes excluded from the process are in areas that have suffered most from the effects of the fighting and state neglect. Now, analysts say the law risks further disenfranchising citizens in those areas and could even drive them into the arms of armed groups. A soldier of the Burkina Faso army poses on the top of an armoured vehicle during a patrol [File: AFP]Hamadou Yero Dicko, who asked for his real name to be changed for fear of reprisals, is the mayor of a commune in eastern Burkina Faso where electoral registration did not take place, affecting up to 4,000 voters. Since early 2019, his commune has effectively been under the control of armed groups. Dicko said several of its residents have been killed by the fighters and many, like him, had to flee to other towns in the region to seek safety amid the deteriorating security situation. “They [fighters] came around 7pm and opened fire. Later, they burned the police cars,” Dicko said, recalling an attack last year before the fall of the commune. “They burned all the motorbikes they saw in the police station, as well … [Some weeks later,] they attacked the town hall and the prefecture building,” he added. Following these attacks, the police, military and other authorities left the area and state institutions ceased to function, according to Dicko. Many of the commune’s citizens followed shortly after, with just a minority of residents staying behind. “I am angry that we have been living without local authorities for two years. They really don’t want to address the terrorists,” Dicko said. “[The people] feel like they’ve been abandoned.” style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">