Fearing attacks by extremists, the country has not held presidential and parliamentary elections, which have been overshadowed by ongoing violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Voters will go to the polls next month in Burkina Faso, where voters are casting their ballots for the first time in more than a decade amid a worsening conflict and a rapidly growing humanitarian crisis. Presidential and parliamentary elections will be held on 5 and 6 May in one of the poorest countries in the world amid a spiral of violence and political instability.

OUAGADOUGOU - Elections were held in Burkina Faso on November 22, but more than 400,000 people displaced by armed conflict were unable to vote.

Health workers on Burkina Faso's frontlines say they lack the resources to train staff and equipment and fear the outbreak is spiralling out of control. Political analysts say the Burkinabe authorities have had to balance security issues with the need for democratic elections, but have taken risks. However, some Burkinabe experts say that violence and intimidation show just how limited the authorities "control and legitimacy really is.

Burkina Faso's borders remain a factor that can be exploited by criminal actors and terrorist groups. The attacks were indiscriminate and targeted places visited by foreigners, such as hospitals, schools and health centres. There are also fears that terrorist groups have crossed the border from Mali and the northern border with Niger to carry out kidnapping attacks.

Physically disabled people have a very difficult time in Burkina Faso, where consular assistance is severely restricted and facilities are generally inaccessible. African countries where travel is strongly discouraged, such as Mali and Niger, and the United States of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the European Union, where travel is not advised.

For more information, please visit OSAC's country page in Burkina Faso for more information about who we are. American citizens contacting local authorities and contact information can be overwritten. If you feel ill or suspect that you have COVID-19, you can call the Burkine Faso hotline at 1-888-743-5555.

You must present a negative COVID-19 test certificate, which is dated no later than 5 days before your departure to Burkina Faso. If you are planning to travel to Burkina Fasi, please check the section Coronavirus for information on what you need to know about the coronavirus there. Yellow fever is a risk in Burkina Faso, and the CDC recommends a vaccine for travelers 9 months or older. They must be quarantined for at least two weeks after arrival in a safe place and may require up to six months of medical attention.

You are not travelling for terrorism or crime and you must travel in a safe environment, such as a hotel, airport or other safe place.

Burkina Faso currently has only one laboratory in the second city of Bobo - Dioulasso, which is equipped for testing. The industrial plant was moved from Bobos Diouasso to Ouagadougou, making it one of the most advanced laboratories in Africa and the world. According to a local organisation monitoring the elections, two polling stations have opened in both the capital and Ouakarta, two in Abidjan.

The influx of labour has obviously been influenced by external events: the civil war in Côte d'Ivoire has led to hundreds of thousands of Burkinabe returning to Burkina Faso, and extremist groups have carried out attacks. The conflict has killed more than 1,000 people in the capital Ouagadougou over the past year and has drawn troops into the fight against armed groups, including those linked to ISIL and Al Qaeda.

French tourists may have been kidnapped and four hostages, including a Westerner, freed. Two of the hostages rescued are two tourists, a Canadian and an Italian who were taken by kidnappers to an unknown location in Burkina Faso.

In 1896 the French came and claimed the territory and founded Ouagadougou as the capital of the Upper Volta. The Mossi resistance ended only with the capture of the French capital Ouakarta in 1901, but in 1919 UpperVolta became a colony of its own. During World War I, the population grew to nearly 20,000 and the economy to over $1.5 billion. Since 1441, when a battle between the Mossis and the Togolese in the north of Burkina Faso led to victory, there have been repeated conflicts.

In 1919, the French made Ouagadougou the capital of the Upper Volta and the centre of the economy of Burkina Faso, and it became a true community centre. In 1919, the French made it the second largest city in the country after Ouakarta with over 20,000 inhabitants.

In 1984, France gained independence from the Upper Volta, which was renamed Burkina Faso after Thomas Sankara, also known as Che Guevara of Africa. On 4 August 1984, Captain Sanksara announced the renaming of the country into Burkina Faso. Kabore told reporters after voting at a school in the capital Ouagadougou that the burkinabe had voted for her anorexia. It was important for them to vote, "he said," there is no peace in this country. , there has been no development in the burkino - Fason, and there are no developments in it.