Burundi Kicks Off Political Campaigns Amid Covid-19 Fears

As the world continues to fight the coronavirus pandemic, Burundians are carrying out political campaigns ignoring the risks they are exposing themselves to.

In Burundi, nothing has changed so far. Life has been going on as usual despite the country reporting its first Covid-19 case on March 31, 2020.

The President’s spokesperson encouraged the citizens to lead their normal lives because “God loves Burundi’ and would protect them against any pandemic including the Covid-19.

Today, the political campaigns in Burundi have hit a new level, with authorities and the ruling party said to be using fear and repression against the opposition’s parties and the media who were opposing the onset of the campaigns during this period.

“Violence and repression have been the hallmark of politics in Burundi since 2015, and as elections approach and the Covid-19 pandemic unfolds, tensions are rising,” said Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

“There is little doubt that these elections will be accompanied by more abuses, as Burundian officials and members of the Imbonerakure are using violence with near-total impunity to allow the ruling party to entrench its hold on power.”

Burundi has not reported more cases of the Covid-19 virus and journalists are barred from attending covid-19 conferences held by Health officials. This indicates that the country is withholding information on the virus.

Laws against the dissemination of important information to the public have been put in place to ensure political leaders continue with their evil acts.

These reckless acts have continued in Burundi despite officials from the United Nations warning the country about the dangers they are exposing themselves to.

WHO also warned that Africa could witness a surge in Covid-19 cases in case they continue being reluctant in the fight against the pandemic.

So far, Africa has reported over 20,000 cases but the WHO has projected over 10 million cases in the next three months. This projection was however made leaving out the option of positive behavior change.