Burkina Faso and Power Struggles
Burkina Faso is a nation in West Africa that has had a long history of power struggles, coups, and violent transitions of power, but unlike Nigeria, they have not yet shifted toward democracy enough. The most recent coup attempt failed as it was blocked by the military government headed by president Ibrahim Traoré.
Burkina Faso, like many other nations in Africa, was conquered by a European power, in this case France, that dominated the landscape and influenced the culture for decades. That is until they gained their independence in 1960 as apart of the decolonization era. The state set up a true government in the 1990s holding its first by popular vote and reforming the governmental structure to a semi presidential system. Other notable changes was the changing of the name from Upper Volta (for the river they lived beside) to Burkina Faso which literally translates to ‘land of the upright men.’
Burkina Faso on a map
President Blaise Compaoré was elected without much opposition in 1987 and held the office until protesting and demonstrations forced him to resign in 2014. This lead to a power struggle that ultimately culminated to a military coup that lead to the current president’s rule since September 2022. Historically, any country that is headed by the leader of the military is typically not a good sign and in this case it is no exception.
President Ibrahim holding a press conference
Just from the picture alone you can likely interpret that the nation is under strict control form the military and any demonstrations or protest will be met harshly. Even so far as to hit civilians with live artillery and injuring and killing many during protests. The most recent attempt was sparked internally by a few chief officers within the military. They have since been stopped by being captured or put on the run with bounties on their heads.
Overall, Burkina Faso is in a state of turmoil and extremely weak leadership and growth opportunities for the nation. Unfortunately, the nation does not seem to have even a brighter distant horizon and it will take the resistance of the population and the complete reconstruction of the government to get on the right track. Politically they are in a struggle which ultimately trickles down to the quality of life and safety of the citizens. Africa as a whole is in the limelight of the world for developing nations and hopefully they can learn from one another and the world to improve their nations together.
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/place/Burkina-Faso