Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso falls in the mid-range in three of Global State of Democracy’s categories of democratic performance (Rights, Rule of Law and Participation) and sits in the low range with regard to Representation. Over the last five years, there have been declines in several factors of Representation, Rights and Rule of Law. These were driven by a serious deterioration in the security and human rights situation and a recent coup. Despite this context, the country is a high performer in Freedom of Religion and Civic Engagement. Economically, Burkina Faso is largely dependent on subsistence agriculture, and it is an important exporter of gold and cotton. Over 80 per cent of the population lives in poverty, adult literacy is 46 per cent, and the country is among the lowest in the Human Development Index.
Present-day Burkina Faso was dominated by the powerful Mossi kingdoms prior to French colonization in the 19th century. It obtained independence (as Upper Volta) in 1960 and was renamed in 1984. Since then, the country’s political space has been marked by authoritarianism and marred by a long series of coups, including one in September 2022 that installed a military junta. In 2023, the military rulers thwarted another coup. These putsches mirror others in the Sahel in the same time period, most of which have their roots in poor governance based on clientelism and corruption, as well as in the poor security situation. From the time he took power in a 1987 coup until his downfall in 2014, Blaise Compaoré led Burkina Faso as its president. While his authoritarian rule was associated with relative stability in the country, his regime’s long dependence on complex patronage networks—reliant on chiefs—quickly gave way to conflict and insurgency subsequent to his resignation following mass protests.
Since 2014, ameliorating the poor security situation has come to be seen as Burkina Faso’s most urgent political challenge, as myriad attacks by Islamist rebels—many allied with ISIS—have resulted in countless human rights violations and civil deaths, along with mass internal displacement. While the 2015 and 2020 elections laid the groundwork for a functioning democracy, divides over economic control of gold mines and key trade routes have severely hampered the security situation.
Although religious tolerance has long been a widespread social value in the Sahelian nation, religion has become an increasingly important cleavage in recent years, as Muslims, who comprise 61 per cent of the population, note their underrepresentation in the civil service and government administration relative to Christians. Poor social services in the impoverished north of the country have also fueled a sense of economic abandonment, and in turn led to the rise of jihadist violence.
Gender divides are also salient in Burkina Faso; it is among the world’s bottom 25 per cent with regard to Gender Equality performance. Women face significant inequalities and disparities relative to men, and the ongoing armed violence has exacerbated incidences of gender-based violence. In 2021, a sex-for-food-aid scandal underscored the precarious social position of Burkinabé women. Furthermore, LGBTQIA+ people face stigma and humiliation.
Looking ahead, it will be important to watch Basic Welfare and Personal Integrity and Security, partially because of the continued insurgency. Representation will also be pivotal and dependent on a transition back to civilian rule.
Monthly Event Reports
November 2023 | Military government uses conscription to target political opponents
Burkina Faso remains engaged in an intense internal war with Islamist groups. Part of the military government’s response has been to use an emergency decree that gives the government the power to requisition equipment and conscript people into military service. However, in November, trade union leaders and other civil society activists asserted that the government was using conscription to particularly target them, as well as journalists and members of opposition parties. Human rights organizations described the conscription notices as an abuse of emergency legislation to suppress dissent.
May 2023 | Massacre attributed to government soldiers
On 20 April, 147 civilians (including many women and children) were killed in the village of Karma in the north of Burkina Faso. Survivors of the massacre and international human rights organizations have reported that the perpetrators of the atrocity were uniformed members of the Burkinabe military. The military junta condemned the attack and claimed that it could have been carried out by militants who had stolen equipment from the military. A local prosecutor has begun an investigation.
March 2023 | Broadcasts of France24 suspended after Al-Qaeda interview
The military junta governing Burkina Faso announced an immediate suspension of the broadcasts of France24 on 27 March. The government statement claimed that by broadcasting material from a written interview with the leader of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the broadcaster had supported terrorism. This follows the suspension of Radio France Internationale in December. Advocacy groups have characterised the two moves as a slow-moving attack on media freedom in the country.
December 2022 | Junta claims to have foiled an attempted coup d’état
Following several days during which rumours of an attempted coup d’état circulated on social media, Capt. Ibrahim Traore, the leader of the military junta that took power in Burkina Faso’s second coup of 2022 in September, claimed that a coup plot had been foiled. No one was reported to have been arrested. Capt. Traore claimed that he knew who was responsible and would engage them in dialogue.
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GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022
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