Burkina Faso President Kabore vows reconciliation during second term

Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Kabore vowed on Monday to bring together the West African nation torn by violent Islamist militant attacks as he embarks on his second and final five-year term.

Kabore was sworn into office in a ceremony attended by nearly a dozen peers from the region following his victory in a November 22 presidential election which he won with 57.87% of the vote.

Once a stable country in the turbulent Sahel region, landlocked Burkina Faso has been sucked into a violent security crisis during much of Kabore’s first term. The crisis has also overwhelmed much of West Africa in recent years.

Islamist insurgents with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State have killed more than 2,000 people in attacks this year in Burkina Faso. Around 1 million people have been displaced. Nearly 7% of the electorate were unable to vote.

Ethnic and religious tensions fuelled by the militant attacks have also increased, pulling at the seams of once-peaceful communities.

“There are several challenges, and hopes for the next five year. I will be particularly attentive to matters concerning national reconciliation, peace and security which will be the foundations of any development” Kabore said.

He added that he would launch consultations in the coming months on a “true national reconciliation.”

Kabore, who handed a document to the constitutional court judges declaring his wealth after he was sworn in, also vowed to fight corruption during his last term in office.

Reuters/Olawunmi Sadiq