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Burkina Faso had to take an important step Sunday towards democracy.
The West African nation was to set limits on the presidential term after a long-awaited national vote – even if Islamist violence seized the countryside.
But a few days before the opening of the polls, the government has postponed this event to an indeterminate date and without explanation.
Analysts have called the constitutional referendum a positive point in this turbulent period for this country the size of Colorado. The extremist attacks in Burkina Faso have quadrupled since 2017, according to the African Center for Strategic Studies in Washington.
"The country seems to be collapsing," said Michael Shurkin, political scientist at Rand Corp. "The relevance of constitutional reforms in the light of the security crisis is questionable".
The former French colony, where 80% of the inhabitants work in agriculture, has already seemed to be moving towards a more peaceful future. After the protesters ousted authoritarian leader Blaise Compaore in 2014, the number of voter registrations increased and leaders began to debate political changes aimed at forming a more representative government.
The Burkinabè President Roch Marc Christian Kabore participates in the Summit of G5 Sahel state leaders on February 5th in Ouagadougou. (Maismont Olympia / AFP / Getty Images)
Now, a growing insurgency seems to threaten this progress. Deaths from terrorism in West Africa increased in 2015 and continue to pose a persistent problem to the international community.
Until recently, bloodshed was largely confined to Mali and Niger, where five militant Islamist groups are active, and northeastern Nigeria, which has been grappling with Boko Haram. and an offshoot. faithful to the Islamic State.
But now, Burkina Faso is no longer immune to the chaos unfolding north and east. Human Rights Watch estimates that 700,000 people have fled their homes since January.
"Slowly but surely, it's gnawing the whole region," said Shurkin, Rand's researcher. "And that will have consequences for us all eventually."
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Burkina Faso and foreign troops stand guard in Ouagadougou at the funeral of a member of the gendarmerie's badault unit who was killed during an operation to capture suspected jihadists in May. (Ahmed Ouoba / AFP / Getty Images)
Despite the growing danger, Burkinabe leaders seemed to be concentrating on implementing more democratic laws – limiting the number of warrants being the centerpiece. They scheduled Sunday's vote in August.
Research suggests that countries with leaders who can rule for decades are less stable: one-third of the 18 countries with no mandate limit are involved in armed conflict, according to the African Center for Strategic Studies, compared with only two of the 21 countries who do it.
The overthrow of the Compaoré regime in 2014 – rioters burned the parliament building in Ouagadougou and Compaore fled to the neighboring Ivory Coast – sparked a renewed political commitment.
The number of registered voters increased by 70% before the 2015 elections and President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré promised changes that would significantly weaken the power of the country's leader.
Under the proposed constitution, presidents could only serve two five-year terms. They could appoint only two judges. And they could be charged.
Now, the vote for these updates could be delayed until the country's general election in 2020 as a money-saving measure, the French RFI Africa press conference reported.
"They may not have organized themselves," said Joseph Siegle, director of research at the Center for Strategic Studies for Africa. "It could be politics. Or it could be related to insecurity. "
Insecurity began in January 2016, when badailants linked to a northwestern subsidiary of al-Qaeda stormed a hotel in the capital, killing 30 people and wounding 56 others.
Since then, violence has intensified throughout the country. Analysts say the fighters cross the border from Mali, hoping to expand their presence in the region.
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Burkina Faso suffered 136 attacks from Islamic militants last year, compared to about a quarter of that figure in 2017. Kaboré declared a state of emergency in six of the country's 13 provinces.
"Security is deteriorating rapidly and worryingly," said Corinne Dufka, West Africa director for Human Rights Watch.
US military officials have expressed concern over terrorist activities in the region.
"I would say that for the moment, we are not winning," Flintlock told reporters on the occasion of a military training exercise in Burkina Faso, General J. Marcus Hicks, chief of the US Special Operations Command Africa. month.
The threat escalates several months after the Pentagon announced its intention to cut US forces in Africa by 10% in the coming years, mainly in West Africa, while the Trump administration was increasingly focusing on more Chinese and Russian influences.
The United States has about 7,200 soldiers and soldiers on the continent.
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