Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,878 sq mi). In 2021, the country had an estimated population of approximately 23,674,480. Previously called the Republic of Upper Volta (1958–1984), it was renamed Burkina Faso by former president Thomas Sankara. Its citizens are known as Burkinabè, and its capital and largest city is Ouagadougou.
Burkina Faso
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 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Motto: "La Patrie ou la Mort, Nous Vaincrons" (French) "Homeland or Death, we will Conquer" | |
| Anthem: Ditanyè | |
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| Capital and largest city | Ouagadougou 12°22′N 1°32′W / 12.367°N 1.533°W |
| Official languages |
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| Working languages | |
| Ethnic groups (2010 est.) |
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| Demonym(s) |
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| Government | Unitary republic under a military junta |
• Interim President and MPSR President | Ibrahim Traoré |
• Prime Minister | Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo |
| Legislature | Transitional Legislative Assembly |
| History | |
• Republic of Upper Volta proclaimed | 11 December 1958 |
• Independence from France | 5 August 1960 |
• 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état | 3 January 1966 |
• 2014 Burkina Faso uprising | 28 October – 3 November 2014 |
• Jan 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état | 23–24 January 2022 |
• Sep 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état | 30 September 2022 |
| Area | |
• Total | 274,223 km2 (105,878 sq mi) (74th) |
• Water (%) | 0.146% |
| Population | |
• 2023 estimate | 22,489,126 (58th) |
• Density | 64/km2 (165.8/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2023 estimate |
• Total |  $62.788 billion (114th) |
• Per capita | $2,682 (171st) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | $20.785 billion (124th) |
• Per capita | $888 (180th) |
| Gini (2021) |  37.4medium inequality |
| HDI (2022) |  0.438low (185th) |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) |
| Time zone | UTC+00:00 |
| Date format | dd/mm/yyyy |
| Drives on | Right |
| Calling code | +226 |
| ISO 3166 code | BF |
| Internet TLD | .bf |
The largest ethnic group in Burkina Faso is the Mossi people, who settled the area in the 11th and 13th centuries. They established powerful kingdoms such as the Ouagadougou, Tenkodogo, and Yatenga. In 1896, it was colonized by the French as part of French West Africa; in 1958, Upper Volta became a self-governing colony within the French Community. In 1960, it gained full independence with Maurice Yaméogo as president. Since it gained its independence, the country has been subject to instability, droughts, famines and corruption. There have also been various coups, in 1966, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1987, and twice in 2022 (January and September). There were also unsuccessful coup attempts in 1989, 2015, and 2023.
Thomas Sankara came to power following a successful coup in 1983. As president, Sankara embarked on a series of ambitious socioeconomic reforms which included a nationwide literacy campaign, land redistribution to peasants, vaccinations for over 2 million children, railway and road construction, equalized access to education, and the outlawing of female genital mutilation, forced marriages, and polygamy. He served as the country's president until 1987 when he was deposed and assassinated in a coup led by Blaise Compaoré, who became president and ruled the country until his removal on 31 October 2014.
Since the mid-2010s, Burkina Faso has been severely affected by the rise of insurgencies in the Sahel. Several militias, partly allied with the Islamic State (IS) or al-Qaeda, operate in Burkina Faso and across the border in Mali and Niger. More than one million of the country's 21 million inhabitants are internally displaced persons. Burkina Faso's military seized power in a coup d'état on 23 and 24 January 2022, overthrowing President Roch Marc Kaboré. On 31 January, the military junta restored the constitution and appointed Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba as interim president, but he was himself overthrown in a second coup on 30 September and replaced by military captain Ibrahim Traoré.
Burkina Faso remains one of the least developed countries in the world, with a GDP of $16.226 billion in 2022. Approximately 63.8% of its population practices Islam, while 26.3% practices Christianity. The country's four official languages are Mooré, Bissa, Dyula and Fula, with the first one being spoken by over half the population; the Burkinabè government also officially recognizes 60 indigenous languages. The former government and business language was French until January 2024, whose status was demoted to that of a "working language" alongside English by ratification of a constitutional amendment.
The country's territory is geographically biodiverse, and includes plentiful reserves of gold, manganese, copper and limestone. Due to its multicultural make-up, Burkinabè art has a rich and long history, and is globally renowned for its orthodox style. The country is governed as a semi-presidential republic, with executive, legislative and judicial powers. It is a member of the United Nations, La Francophonie and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. On 18 January 2024, Burkina Faso announced its exit from ECOWAS and the African Union.
Etymology
Formerly the Republic of Upper Volta, the country was renamed "Burkina Faso" on 4 August 1984 by then-President Thomas Sankara. The words "Burkina" and "Faso" stem from different languages spoken in the country: "Burkina" comes from Mooré and means "upright", showing how the people are proud of their integrity, while "Faso" comes from the Dyula language (as written in N'Ko: ߝߊ߬ߛߏ߫ faso) and means "fatherland" (literally, "father's house"). The "-bé" suffix added onto "Burkina" to form the demonym "Burkinabé" comes from the Fula language and means "women or men". The CIA summarizes the etymology as "land of the honest (incorruptible) men".
The French Colony of Upper Volta was named for its location on the upper courses of the Volta River (the Black, Red and White Volta).
History
Early history
The northwestern part of present-day Burkina Faso was populated by hunter-gatherers from 14,000 BCE to 5,000 BCE. Their tools, including scrapers, chisels and arrowheads, were discovered in 1973 through archaeological excavations. Agricultural settlements were established between 3600 and 2600 BCE. The Bura culture was an Iron-Age civilization centred in the southwest portion of modern-day Niger and in the southeast part of contemporary Burkina Faso.Iron industry, in smelting and forging for tools and weapons, had developed in Sub-Saharan Africa by 1200 BCE. To date, the oldest evidence of iron smelting found in Burkina Faso dates from 800 to 700 BCE and forms part of the Ancient Ferrous Metallurgy World Heritage Site. From the 3rd to the 13th centuries CE, the Iron Age Bura culture existed in the territory of present-day southeastern Burkina Faso and southwestern Niger. Various ethnic groups of present-day Burkina Faso, such as the Mossi, Fula and Dioula, arrived in successive waves between the 8th and 15th centuries. From the 11th century, the Mossi people established several separate kingdoms.
8th to 18th centuries
There is debate about the exact dates when Burkina Faso's many ethnic groups arrived to the area. The arrived in the far eastern part of what is today Burkina Faso sometime between the 8th and 11th centuries, and accepted Islam as their religion in the 11th century. The Samo arrived around the 15th century. The Dogon lived in Burkina Faso's north and northwest regions until sometime in the 15th or 16th centuries, and many of the other ethnic groups that make up the country's population arrived in the region during this time.
During the Middle Ages, the Mossi established several separate kingdoms including those of Tenkodogo, Yatenga, Zandoma, and Ouagadougou. Sometime between 1328 and 1338, Mossi warriors raided Timbuktu but the Mossi were defeated by Sonni Ali of Songhai at the Battle of Kobi in Mali in 1483.
During the early 16th century, the Songhai conducted many slave raids into what is today Burkina Faso. During the 18th century, the Gwiriko Empire was established at Bobo Dioulasso and ethnic groups such as the Dyan, Lobi, and Birifor settled along the Black Volta.
From colony to independence (1890s–1958)
This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2017) |
Starting in the early 1890s during the European Scramble for Africa, a series of European military officers made attempts to claim parts of what is today Burkina Faso. At times these colonialists and their armies fought the local peoples; at times they forged alliances with them and made treaties. The colonialist officers and their home governments also made treaties among themselves. The territory of Burkina Faso was invaded by France, becoming a French protectorate in 1896.
The eastern and western regions, where a standoff against the forces of the powerful ruler Samori Ture complicated the situation, came under French occupation in 1897. By 1898, the majority of the territory corresponding to Burkina Faso was nominally conquered; however, French control of many parts remained uncertain.
The Franco-British Convention of 14 June 1898 created the country's modern borders. In the French territory, a war of conquest against local communities and political powers continued for about five years. In 1904, the largely pacified territories of the Volta basin were integrated into the Upper Senegal and Niger colony of French West Africa as part of the reorganization of the French West African colonial empire. The colony had its capital in Bamako.
The language of colonial administration and schooling became French. The public education system started from humble origins. Advanced education was provided for many years during the colonial period in Dakar.
The indigenous population was highly discriminated against. For example, African children were not allowed to ride bicycles or pick fruit from trees, "privileges" reserved for the children of colonists. Violating these regulations could land parents in jail.
Draftees from the territory participated in the European fronts of World War I in the battalions of the Senegalese Rifles. Between 1915 and 1916, the districts in the western part of what is now Burkina Faso and the bordering eastern fringe of Mali became the stage of one of the most important armed oppositions to colonial government: the Volta-Bani War.
The French government finally suppressed the movement but only after suffering defeats. It also had to organize its largest expeditionary force of its colonial history to send into the country to suppress the insurrection. Armed opposition wracked the Sahelian north when the Tuareg and allied groups of the Dori region ended their truce with the government.
French Upper Volta was established on 1 March 1919. The French feared a recurrence of armed uprising and had related economic considerations. To bolster its administration, the colonial government separated the present territory of Burkina Faso from Upper Senegal and Niger.
The new colony was named Haute Volta for its location on the upper courses of the Volta River (the Black, Red and White Volta), and François Charles Alexis Édouard Hesling became its first governor. Hesling initiated an ambitious road-making program to improve infrastructure and promoted the growth of cotton for export. The cotton policy – based on coercion – failed, and revenue generated by the colony stagnated. The colony was dismantled on 5 September 1932, being split between the French colonies of Ivory Coast, French Sudan and Niger. Ivory Coast received the largest share, which contained most of the population as well as the cities of Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso.
France reversed this change during the period of intense anti-colonial agitation that followed the end of World War II. On 4 September 1947, it revived the colony of Upper Volta, with its previous boundaries, as a part of the French Union. The French designated its colonies as departments of metropolitan France on the European continent.
On 11 December 1958 the colony achieved self-government as the Republic of Upper Volta; it joined the Franco-African Community. A revision in the organization of French Overseas Territories had begun with the passage of the Basic Law (Loi Cadre) of 23 July 1956. This act was followed by reorganization measures approved by the French parliament early in 1957 to ensure a large degree of self-government for individual territories. Upper Volta became an autonomous republic in the French community on 11 December 1958. Full independence from France was received in 1960.
Upper Volta (1958–1984)
The Republic of Upper Volta (French: République de Haute-Volta) was established on 11 December 1958 as a self-governing colony within the French Community. The name Upper Volta related to the nation's location along the upper reaches of the Volta River. The river's three tributaries are called the Black, White and Red Volta. These were expressed in the three colors of the former national flag.
Before attaining autonomy, it had been French Upper Volta and part of the French Union. On 5 August 1960, it attained full independence from France. The first president, Maurice Yaméogo, was the leader of the Voltaic Democratic Union (UDV). The 1960 constitution provided for election by universal suffrage of a president and a national assembly for five-year terms. Soon after coming to power, Yaméogo banned all political parties other than the UDV. The government lasted until 1966. After much unrest, including mass demonstrations and strikes by students, labor unions, and civil servants, the military intervened.
Lamizana's rule and multiple coups
The 1966 military coup deposed Yaméogo, suspended the constitution, dissolved the National Assembly, and placed Lt. Col. Sangoulé Lamizana at the head of a government of senior army officers. The army remained in power for four years. On 14 June 1976, the Voltans ratified a new constitution that established a four-year transition period toward complete civilian rule. Lamizana remained in power throughout the 1970s as president of military or mixed civil-military governments. Lamizana's rule coincided with the beginning of the Sahel drought and famine which had a devastating impact on Upper Volta and neighboring countries. After conflict over the 1976 constitution, a new constitution was written and approved in 1977. Lamizana was re-elected by open elections in 1978.
Lamizana's government faced problems with the country's traditionally powerful trade unions, and on 25 November 1980, Col. Saye Zerbo overthrew President Lamizana in a bloodless coup. Colonel Zerbo established the Military Committee of Recovery for National Progress as the supreme governmental authority, thus eradicating the 1977 constitution.
Colonel Zerbo also encountered resistance from trade unions and was overthrown two years later by Maj. Dr. Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo and the Council of Popular Salvation (CSP) in the 1982 Upper Voltan coup d'état. The CSP continued to ban political parties and organizations, yet promised a transition to civilian rule and a new constitution.
1983 coup d'état
Infighting developed between the right and left factions of the CSP. The leader of the leftists, Capt. Thomas Sankara, was appointed prime minister in January 1983, but was subsequently arrested. Efforts to free him, directed by Capt. Blaise Compaoré, resulted in a military coup d'état on 4 August 1983.
The coup brought Sankara to power and his government began to implement a series of revolutionary programs which included mass-vaccinations, infrastructure improvements, the expansion of women's rights, encouragement of domestic agricultural consumption, and anti-desertification projects.
Burkina Faso (since 1984)
On 2 August 1984, on Sankara's initiative, the country's name changed from "Upper Volta" to "Burkina Faso", or land of the honest men; (the literal translation is land of the upright men).[need quotation to verify] The presidential decree was confirmed by the National Assembly on 4 August 1984.
Sankara's government comprised the National Council for the Revolution (CNR – French: Conseil national révolutionnaire), with Sankara as its president, and established popular Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDRs). The Pioneers of the Revolution youth programme was also established.
Sankara launched an ambitious socioeconomic programme for change, one of the largest ever undertaken on the African continent. His foreign policies centred on anti-imperialism, with his government rejecting all foreign aid, pushing for odious debt reduction, nationalising all land and mineral wealth and averting the power and influence of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank. His domestic policies included a nationwide literacy campaign, land redistribution to peasants, railway and road construction and the outlawing of female genital mutilation, forced marriages and polygamy.
Sankara pushed for agrarian self-sufficiency and promoted public health by vaccinating 2,500,000 children against meningitis, yellow fever, and measles. His national agenda also included planting over 10,000,000 trees to halt the growing desertification of the Sahel. Sankara called on every village to build a medical dispensary and had over 350 communities build schools with their own labour.
In the 1980s, when ecological awareness was still very low, Sankara was one of the few African leaders to consider environmental protection a priority. He engaged in three major battles: against bush fires "which will be considered as crimes and will be punished as such"; against cattle roaming "which infringes on the rights of peoples because unattended animals destroy nature"; and against the illegitimate cutting of firewood "whose profession will have to be organized and regulated". As part of a development program involving a large part of the population, ten million trees were planted in Burkina Faso in fifteen months during the revolution. To face the advancing desert and recurrent droughts, Sankara also proposed the planting of wooded strips about fifty kilometers wide, crossing the country from east to west. Cereal production, close to 1.1 billion tons before 1983, was predicted to rise to 1.6 billion tons in 1987. Jean Ziegler, former UN special rapporteur for the right to food, said that the country "had become food self-sufficient."
Compaoré presidency
On 15 October 1987, Sankara and twelve other government officials were assassinated in a coup d'état organized by Blaise Compaoré, Sankara's former colleague, who took over as Burkina Faso's president. He held the position until October 2014. After the coup and although Sankara was known to be dead, some CDRs mounted an armed resistance to the army for several days. A majority[quantify] of Burkinabè citizens hold that France's foreign ministry, the Quai d'Orsay, was behind Compaoré in organizing the coup. There is some evidence for France's support of the coup.
Compaoré gave the deterioration in relations with neighbouring countries as one of the reasons for the coup. He argued that Sankara had jeopardised foreign relations with the former colonial power (France) and with neighbouring Ivory Coast. Following the coup, Compaoré immediately reversed the nationalizations, overturned nearly all of Sankara's policies, returned the country back into the IMF fold, and ultimately spurned most of Sankara's legacy. Following an alleged coup-attempt in 1989, Compaoré introduced limited democratic reforms in 1990. Under the new (1991) constitution, Compaoré was re-elected without opposition in December 1991. In 1998 Compaoré won election in a landslide. In 2004, 13 people were tried for plotting a coup against President Compaoré and the coup's alleged mastermind was sentenced to life imprisonment.
In 2000, the constitution was amended to reduce the presidential term to five years and set term limits to two, preventing successive re-election. The amendment took effect during the 2005 elections. If passed beforehand, it would have prevented Compaoré from being reelected. Other presidential candidates challenged the election results. But in October 2005, the constitutional council ruled that, because Compaoré was the sitting president in 2000, the amendment would not apply to him until the end of his second term in office. This cleared the way for his candidacy in the 2005 election. On 13 November 2005, he was reelected in a landslide, because of a divided political opposition.
In the 2010 presidential election, Compaoré was re-elected. Only 1.6 million Burkinabè voted, out of a total population 10 times that size. In February 2011, the death of a schoolboy provoked the 2011 Burkinabè protests, a series of popular protests, coupled with a military mutiny and a magistrates' strike, that called for Compaoré's resignation, democratic reforms, higher wages for troops and public servants and economic freedom. As a result, governors were replaced and wages for public servants were raised. In April 2011, there was an army mutiny; the president named new chiefs of staff, and a curfew was imposed in Ouagadougou.
Compaoré's government played the role of negotiator in several West-African disputes, including the 2010–2011 Ivorian crisis, the Inter-Togolese Dialogue (2007), and the 2012 Malian Crisis. As of 2014[update], Burkina Faso remained one of the least-developed countries in the world.
Kafando presidency
Starting on 28 October 2014 protesters began to march and demonstrate in Ouagadougou against President Compaoré, who appeared[need quotation to verify] ready to amend the constitution and extend his 27-year rule. On 30 October some protesters set fire to the parliament building and took over the national TV headquarters.Ouagadougou International Airport closed and MPs suspended the vote on changing the constitution (the change would have allowed Compaoré to stand for re-election in 2015). Later in the day, the military dissolved all government institutions and imposed a curfew.
On 31 October 2014, Compaoré resigned.Lt. Col. Isaac Zida said that he would lead the country during its transitional period before the planned 2015 presidential election, but there were concerns[by whom?] over his close ties to the former president. In November 2014 opposition parties, civil-society groups and religious leaders adopted a plan for a transitional authority to guide Burkina Faso to elections. Under the plan Michel Kafando became the transitional president and Lt. Col. Zida became the acting Prime Minister and Defense Minister.
On 16 September 2015, the Regiment of Presidential Security (RSP) carried out a coup d'état, seizing the president and prime minister and then declaring the National Council for Democracy the new national government. However, on 22 September 2015, the coup leader, Gilbert Diendéré, apologized and promised to restore civilian government. On 23 September 2015 the prime minister and interim president were restored to power.
Kaboré presidency and Jihadist insurgency (2015–2023)
General elections took place on 29 November 2015. Roch Marc Christian Kaboré won the election in the first round with 53.5% of the vote, defeating businessman Zéphirin Diabré, who took 29.7%. Kaboré was sworn in as president on 29 December 2015. Kaboré was re-elected in the general election of 22 November 2020, but his party Mouvement du Peuple pour le Progrès (MPP), failed to reach absolute parliamentary majority. It secured 56 seats out of a total of 127. The Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP), the party of former President Blaise Compaoré, was distant second with 20 seats.
A Jihadist insurgency began in August 2015, part of the Islamist insurgency in the Sahel. Between August 2015 and October 2016, seven different posts were attacked across the country. On 15 January 2016, terrorists attacked the capital city of Ouagadougou, killing 30 people. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Al-Mourabitoune, which until then had mostly operated in neighbouring Mali, claimed responsibility for the attack.
In 2016, attacks increased after a new group Ansarul Islam, led by imam Ibrahim Malam Dicko, was founded. Its attacks focused particularly on Soum province and it killed dozens of people in the attack on Nassoumbou on 16 December.
Between 27 March – 10 April 2017, the governments of Mali, France, and Burkina Faso launched a joint operation named "Operation Panga", which involved 1,300 soldiers from the three countries, in the Fhero Forest, near the Burkina Faso-Mali border, considered a sanctuary for Ansarul Islam. The head of Ansarul Islam, Ibrahim Malam Dicko, was killed in June 2017 and became leader.
On 2 March 2018, Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin attacked the French embassy in Ouagadougou as well as the general staff of the Burkinabè army. Eight soldiers and eight attackers were killed, and a further 61 soldiers and 24 civilians were injured. The insurgency expanded to the east of the country and, in early October, the Armed Forces of Burkina Faso launched a major military operation in the country's East, supported by French forces. According to Human Rights Watch, between mid-2018 to February 2019, at least 42 people were murdered by jihadists and a minimum of 116 mostly Fulani civilians were killed by military forces without trial. The attacks increased significantly in 2019. According to the ACLED, armed violence in Burkina Faso jumped by 174% in 2019, with nearly 1,300 civilians dead and 860,000 displaced. Jihadist groups also began to specifically target Christians.
On 8 July 2020, the United States raised concerns after a Human Rights Watch report revealed mass graves with at least 180 bodies, which were found in northern Burkina Faso where soldiers were fighting jihadists. On 4 June 2021, the Associated Press reported that according to the government of Burkina Faso, gunmen killed at least 100 people in Solhan village in northern Burkina Faso near the Niger border. A local market and several homes were also burned down. A government spokesman blamed jihadists. Heni Nsaibia, senior researcher at the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project said it was the deadliest attack recorded in Burkina Faso since the beginning of the jihadist insurgency.
From 4–5 June 2021, unknown militants massacred over 170 people in the villages of Solhan and Tadaryat. Jihadists killed 80 people in Gorgadji on 20 August. On 14 November, the Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin attacked a gendarmerie in Inata, killing 53 soldiers, the heaviest loss of life by the Burkinabe military during the insurgency, and a major morale loss in the country. In December Islamists killed 41 people in an ambush, including the popular vigilante leader Ladji Yoro. Yoro was a central figure in the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) a pro-government militia that had taken a leading role in the struggle against Islamists.
In 2023, shortly after the murder of a Catholic priest at the hands of insurgents, the bishop of Dori, Laurent Dabiré, claimed in an interview with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need that around 50% of the country was in the hands of Islamists.
2022 coups d'état
In a successful coup on 24 January 2022, mutinying soldiers arrested and deposed President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré following gunfire. The Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration (MPSR) supported by the military declared itself to be in power, led by Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba. On 31 January, the military junta restored the constitution and appointed Damiba interim president. In the aftermath of the coup, ECOWAS and the African Union suspended Burkina Faso's membership. On 10 February, the Constitutional Council declared Damiba president. He was sworn in as president on 16 February. On 1 March 2022, the junta approved a charter allowing a military-led transition of 3 years. The charter provides for the transition process to be followed by the holding of elections.President Kaboré, who had been detained since the military junta took power, was released on 6 April 2022.
The insurgency continued following the coup, with about 60% of the country under government control. The Siege of Djibo began in February 2022 and continued as of June 2023. Between 100 and 165 people were killed in Seytenga Department, Séno Province on 12–13 June and around 16,000 people fled their homes. In June 2022, the Government announced the creation of "military zones", which civilians were required to vacate so that the country's Armed and Security Forces could fight insurgents without any "hindrances".
On 30 September 2022, Damiba was ousted in a military coup led by Capt. Ibrahim Traoré. This came eight months after Damiba seized power. The rationale given by Traoré for the coup d'état was the purported inability of Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba to deal with an Islamist insurgency. Damiba resigned and left the country. On 6 October 2022, Captain Ibrahim Traoré was officially appointed as president.Apollinaire Joachim Kyélem de Tambèla was appointed interim Prime Minister on 21 October 2022.
On 13 April 2023, authorities in Burkina Faso declared a mobilisation in order to give the nation all means necessary to combat terrorism and create a "legal framework for all the actions to be taken" against the insurgents in recapturing 40% of the national territory from Islamist insurgents. On 20 April, the Rapid Intervention Brigade committed the Karma massacre, rounding up and executing civilians en masse. Between 60 and 156 civilians were killed.
On 25 August 2024, JNIM again launched a major attack in the region of Barsalogho, killing at least 400 people.
Geography
Burkina Faso lies mostly between latitudes 9° and 15° N (a small area is north of 15°), and longitudes 6° W and 3° E.
It is made up of two major types of countryside. The larger part of the country is covered by a peneplain, which forms a gently undulating landscape with, in some areas, a few isolated hills, the last vestiges of a Precambrian massif. The southwest of the country, on the other hand, forms a sandstone massif, where the highest peak, Ténakourou, is found at an elevation of 749 meters (2,457 ft). The massif is bordered by sheer cliffs up to 150 m (492 ft) high. The average altitude of Burkina Faso is 400 m (1,312 ft) and the difference between the highest and lowest terrain is no greater than 600 m (1,969 ft). Burkina Faso is therefore a relatively flat country.
The country owes its former name of Upper Volta to three rivers which cross it: the Black Volta (or Mouhoun), the White Volta (Nakambé) and the Red Volta (Nazinon). The Black Volta is one of the country's only two rivers which flow year-round, the other being the Komoé, which flows to the southwest. The basin of the Niger River also drains 27% of the country's surface.
The Niger's tributaries – the Béli, Gorouol, Goudébo, and Dargol – are seasonal streams and flow for only four to six months a year. They still can flood and overflow, however. The country also contains numerous lakes – the principal ones are Tingrela, Bam, and Dem. The country contains large ponds, as well, such as Oursi, Béli, Yomboli, and Markoye. Water shortages are often a problem, especially in the north of the country.
Burkina Faso lies within two terrestrial ecoregions: Sahelian Acacia savanna and West Sudanian savanna.
In Burkina Faso forest cover is around 23% of the total land area, equivalent to 6,216,400 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, down from 7,716,600 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 6,039,300 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 177,100 hectares (ha). Of the naturally regenerating forest 0% was reported to be primary forest (consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity) and around 16% of the forest area was found within protected areas. For the year 2015, 100% of the forest area was reported to be under public ownership.
Climate
Burkina Faso has a primarily tropical climate with two very distinct seasons. In the rainy season, the country receives between 600 and 900 mm (24 and 35 in) of rainfall; in the dry season, the harmattan – a hot dry wind from the Sahara – blows. The rainy season lasts around four months, May/June to September, but is shorter in the north of the country. Three climatic zones can be defined: the Sahel, the Sudan-Sahel, and the Sudan-Guinea. The Sahel in the north typically receives less than 600 mm (24 in) of rainfall per year and has high temperatures, 5–47 °C (41–117 °F).
A relatively dry tropical savanna, the Sahel extends beyond the borders of Burkina Faso, from the Horn of Africa to the Atlantic Ocean, and borders the Sahara to its north and the fertile region of the Sudan to the south. Situated between 11° 3′ and 13° 5′ north latitude, the Sudan-Sahel region is a transitional zone with regard to rainfall and temperature. Further to the south, the Sudan-Guinea zone receives more than 900 mm (35 in) of rain each year and has cooler average temperatures.
Geography and environment contribute to Burkina Faso's food insecurity. As the country is situated in the Sahel region, it has some of the most radical climatic variation in the world, ranging from severe flooding to extreme drought. The unpredictable climatic shocks can make it very difficult for Burkina Faso citizens to rely on and prosper from agriculture.
Burkina Faso's climate also renders its crops vulnerable to insect attacks, including attacks from locusts and crickets, which destroy crops and further inhibit food production. Not only is most of the population of Burkina Faso dependent on agriculture as a source of income, but they also rely on the agricultural sector for food that will directly feed the household. Due to the vulnerability of agriculture, more and more families are having to look for other sources of non-farm income, and often have to travel outside of their regional zone to find work.
Natural resources
Burkina Faso's natural resources include gold, manganese, limestone, marble, phosphates, pumice, and salt.
Wildlife
Burkina Faso has a larger number of elephants than many countries in West Africa. Lions, leopards and buffalo can also be found here, including the dwarf or red buffalo, a smaller reddish-brown animal which looks like a fierce kind of short-legged cow. Other large predators live in Burkina Faso, such as the cheetah, the caracal or African lynx, the spotted hyena and the African wild dog, one of the continent's most endangered species.
Burkina Faso's fauna and flora are protected in four national parks:
- The W National Park in the east which passes Burkina Faso, Benin, and Niger
- The Arly Wildlife Reserve (Arly National Park in the east)
- The Léraba-Comoé Classified Forest and Partial Reserve of Wildlife in the west
- The Mare aux Hippopotames in the west
and several reserves: see List of national parks in Africa and List of protected areas of Burkina Faso.
Government and politics
The constitution of 2 June 1991 established a semi-presidential government: its parliament could be dissolved by the President of the Republic, who was to be elected for a term of seven years. In 2000, the constitution was amended to reduce the presidential term to five years and set term limits to two, preventing successive re-election. The amendment took effect during the 2005 elections.
The parliament consisted of one chamber known as the National Assembly, which had 111 seats with members elected to serve five-year terms. There was also a constitutional chamber, composed of ten members, and an economic and social council whose roles were purely consultative. The 1991 constitution created a bicameral parliament, but the upper house (Chamber of Representatives) was abolished in 2002.
The Compaoré administration had worked to decentralize power by devolving some of its powers to regions and municipal authorities. The widespread distrust of politicians and lack of political involvement by many residents complicated this process. Critics described this as a hybrid decentralisation.
Political freedoms are severely restricted in Burkina Faso. Human rights organizations had criticised the Compaoré administration for numerous acts of state-sponsored violence against journalists and other politically active members of society.
The prime minister is head of government and is appointed by the president with the approval of the National Assembly. He is responsible for recommending a cabinet for appointment by the president.
Constitution
In 2015, Kaboré promised to revise the 1991 constitution. The revision was completed in 2018. One condition prevents any individual from serving as president for more than ten years either consecutively or intermittently and provides a method for impeaching a president. A referendum on the constitution for the Fifth Republic was scheduled for 24 March 2019.
Certain rights are also enshrined in the revised wording: access to drinking water, access to decent housing and a recognition of the right to civil disobedience, for example. The referendum was required because the opposition parties in Parliament refused to sanction the proposed text.
Following the January 2022 coup d'état, the military dissolved the parliament, government and constitution. On 31 January, the military junta restored the constitution, but it was suspended again following the September 2022 coup d'état.
Administrative divisions
The country is divided into 13 administrative regions. These regions encompass 45 provinces and 301 departments. Each region is administered by a governor.
Foreign relations
Burkina Faso is a member of the Community of Sahel–Saharan States, La Francophonie, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and United Nations. It is currently suspended from ECOWAS and the African Union. Until December 2023 Burkina Faso was a member of G5 Sahel, a small group formed in 2014 to co-operate with development and security matters. However, in December 2023 the country withdrew from the organisation due to concerns of "serving foreign interests to the detriments of our people" along with Niger and Mali.
Military
The army consists of some 6,000 men in voluntary service, augmented by a part-time national People's Militia composed of civilians between 25 and 35 years of age who are trained in both military and civil duties. According to Jane's Sentinel Country Risk Assessment, Burkina Faso's Army is undermanned for its force structure and poorly equipped, but has wheeled light-armour vehicles, and may have developed useful combat expertise through interventions in Liberia and elsewhere in Africa.
In terms of training and equipment, the regular Army is believed to be neglected in relation to the élite Regiment of Presidential Security (French: Régiment de la Sécurité Présidentielle – RSP). Reports have emerged in recent years of disputes over pay and conditions. There is an air force with some 19 operational aircraft, but no navy, as the country is landlocked. Military expenses constitute approximately 1.2% of the nation's GDP.
Law enforcement
Burkina Faso employs numerous police and security forces, generally modeled after organizations used by French police. France continues to provide significant support and training to police forces. The Gendarmerie Nationale is organized along military lines, with most police services delivered at the brigade level. The Gendarmerie operates under the authority of the Minister of Defence, and its members are employed chiefly in the rural areas and along borders.
There is a municipal police force controlled by the Ministry of Territorial Administration; a national police force controlled by the Ministry of Security; and an autonomous Regiment of Presidential Security (Régiment de la Sécurité Présidentielle, or RSP), a 'palace guard' devoted to the protection of the President of the Republic. Both the gendarmerie and the national police are subdivided into both administrative and judicial police functions; the former are detailed to protect public order and provide security, the latter are charged with criminal investigations.
All foreigners and citizens are required to carry photo ID passports, or other forms of identification or risk a fine, and police spot identity checks are commonplace for persons traveling by auto, bush-taxi, or bus.
Economy
The value of Burkina Faso's exports fell from $2.77 billion in 2011 to $754 million in 2012. Agriculture represents 32% of its gross domestic product and occupies 80% of the working population. It consists mostly of rearing livestock. Especially in the south and southwest, the people grow crops of sorghum, pearl millet, maize (corn), peanuts, rice and cotton, with surpluses to be sold. A large part of the economic activity of the country is funded by international aid, despite having gold ores in abundance.
The top five export commodities in 2017 were, in order of importance: gems and precious metals, US$1.9 billion (78.5% of total exports), cotton, $198.7 million (8.3%), ores, slag, ash, $137.6 million (5.8%), fruits, nuts: $76.6 million (3.2%) and oil seeds: $59.5 million (2.5%).
A December 2018 report from the World Bank indicates that in 2017, economic growth increased to 6.4% in 2017 (vs. 5.9% in 2016) primarily due to gold production and increased investment in infrastructure. The increase in consumption linked to growth of the wage bill also supported economic growth. Inflation remained low, 0.4% that year but the public deficit grew to 7.7% of GDP (vs. 3.5% in 2016). The government was continuing to get financial aid and loans to finance the debt. To finance the public deficit, the Government combined concessional aid and borrowing on the regional market. The World Bank said that the economic outlook remained favorable in the short and medium term, although that could be negatively impacted. Risks included high oil prices (imports), lower prices of gold and cotton (exports) as well as terrorist threat and labour strikes.
Burkina Faso is part of the West African Monetary and Economic Union (UMEOA) and has adopted the CFA franc. This is issued by the Central Bank of the West African States (BCEAO), situated in Dakar, Senegal. The BCEAO manages the monetary and reserve policy of the member states, and provides regulation and oversight of financial sector and banking activity. A legal framework regarding licensing, bank activities, organizational and capital requirements, inspections and sanctions (all applicable to all countries of the Union) is in place, having been reformed significantly in 1999. Microfinance institutions are governed by a separate law, which regulates microfinance activities in all WAEMU countries. The insurance sector is regulated through the Inter-African Conference on Insurance Markets (CIMA).
In 2018, tourism was almost non-existent in large parts of the country. The U.S. government (and others) warn their citizens not to travel into large parts of Burkina Faso: "The northern Sahel border region shared with Mali and Niger due to crime and terrorism. The provinces of Kmoandjari, Tapoa, Kompienga, and Gourma in East Region due to crime and terrorism".
The 2018 CIA World Factbook provides this updated summary. "Burkina Faso is a poor, landlocked country that depends on adequate rainfall. Irregular patterns of rainfall, poor soil, and the lack of adequate communications and other infrastructure contribute to the economy's vulnerability to external shocks. About 80% of the population is engaged in subsistence farming and cotton is the main cash crop. The country has few natural resources and a weak industrial base. Cotton and gold are Burkina Faso's key exports ...The country has seen an upswing in gold exploration, production, and exports.
While the end of the political crisis has allowed Burkina Faso's economy to resume positive growth, the country's fragile security situation could put these gains at risk. Political insecurity in neighboring Mali, unreliable energy supplies, and poor transportation links pose long-term challenges." The report also highlights the 2018–2020 International Monetary Fund program, including the government's plan to "reduce the budget deficit and preserve critical spending on social services and priority public investments".
A 2018 report by the African Development Bank Group discussed a macroeconomic evolution: "higher investment and continued spending on social services and security that will add to the budget deficit". This group's prediction for 2018 indicated that the budget deficit would be reduced to 4.8% of GDP in 2018 and to 2.9% in 2019. Public debt associated with the National Economic and Social Development Plan was estimated at 36.9% of GDP in 2017.
Burkina Faso is a member of the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA). The country also belongs to the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.
Mining
There is mining of copper, iron, manganese, gold, cassiterite (tin ore), and phosphates. These operations provide employment and generate international aid. Gold production increased 32% in 2011 at six gold mine sites, making Burkina Faso the fourth-largest gold producer in Africa, after South Africa, Mali and Ghana. Gold production of Burkina Faso's in 2015 is 36 metric tonnes.
A 2018 report indicated that the country expected record 55 tonnes of gold in that year, a two-thirds increase over 2013. According to Oumarou Idani, there is a more important issue. "We have to diversify production. We mostly only produce gold, but we have huge potential in manganese, zinc, lead, copper, nickel and limestone".
Infrastructure
Water
While services remain underdeveloped, the National Office for Water and Sanitation (ONEA), a state-owned utility company run along commercial lines, is emerging as one of the best-performing utility companies in Africa. High levels of autonomy and a skilled and dedicated management have driven ONEA's ability to improve production of and access to clean water.
Since 2000, nearly 2 million more people have access to water in the four principal urban centres in the country; the company has kept the quality of infrastructure high (less than 18% of the water is lost through leaks – one of the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa), improved financial reporting, and increased its annual revenue by an average of 12% (well above inflation). Challenges remain, including difficulties among some customers in paying for services, with the need to rely on international aid to expand its infrastructure. The state-owned, commercially run venture has helped the nation reach its Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets in water-related areas, and has grown as a viable company.
However, access to drinking water has improved over the last 28 years. According to UNICEF, access to drinking water has increased from 39 to 76% in rural areas between 1990 and 2015. In this same time span, access to drinking water increased from 75 to 97% in urban areas.
Electricity
A 33-megawatt solar power plant in Zagtouli, near Ouagadougou, came online in late November 2017. At the time of its construction, it was the largest solar power facility in West Africa.
Other
The growth rate in Burkina Faso is high although it continues to be plagued by corruption and incursions from terrorist groups from Mali and Niger.
Transport
Transport in Burkina Faso is limited by relatively underdeveloped infrastructure.
As of June 2014 the main international airport, Ouagadougou Airport, had regularly scheduled flights to many destinations in West Africa as well as Paris, Brussels and Istanbul. The other international airport, Bobo Dioulasso Airport, has flights to Ouagadougou and Abidjan.
Rail transport in Burkina Faso consists of a single line which runs from Kaya to Abidjan in Ivory Coast via Ouagadougou, Koudougou, Bobo Dioulasso and Banfora. Sitarail operates a passenger train three times a week along the route.
There are 15,000 kilometres of roads in Burkina Faso, of which 2,500 kilometres are paved.
Science and technology
In 2009, Burkina Faso spent 0.20% of GDP on research and development (R&D), one of the lowest ratios in West Africa. There were 48 researchers (in full-time equivalents) per million inhabitants in 2010, which is more than twice the average for sub-Saharan Africa (20 per million population in 2013) and higher than the ratio for Ghana and Nigeria (39). It is, however, much lower than the ratio for Senegal (361 per million inhabitants). In Burkina Faso in 2010, 46% of researchers were working in the health sector, 16% in engineering, 13% in natural sciences, 9% in agricultural sciences, 7% in the humanities and 4% in social sciences. In January 2011, the government created the Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation. Up until then, management of science, technology and innovation had fallen under the Department of Secondary and Higher Education and Scientific Research. Within this ministry, the Directorate General for Research and Sector Statistics is responsible for planning. A separate body, the Directorate General of Scientific Research, Technology and Innovation, coordinates research. This is a departure from the pattern in many other West African countries where a single body fulfills both functions. The move signals the government's intention to make science and technology a development priority. Burkina Faso was ranked 129th in the Global Innovation Index in 2024.
In 2012, Burkina Faso adopted a National Policy for Scientific and Technical Research, the strategic objectives of which are to develop R&D and the application and commercialization of research results. The policy also makes provisions for strengthening the ministry's strategic and operational capacities. One of the key priorities is to improve food security and self-sufficiency by boosting capacity in agricultural and environmental sciences. The creation of a centre of excellence in 2014 at the International Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering in Ouagadougou within the World Bank project provides essential funding for capacity-building in these priority areas.
A dual priority is to promote innovative, effective and accessible health systems. The government wishes to develop, in parallel, applied sciences and technology and social and human sciences. To complement the national research policy, the government has prepared a National Strategy to Popularize Technologies, Inventions and Innovations (2012) and a National Innovation Strategy (2014). Other policies also incorporate science and technology, such as that on Secondary and Higher Education and Scientific Research (2010), the National Policy on Food and Nutrition Security (2014) and the National Programme for the Rural Sector (2011).
In 2013, Burkina Faso passed the Science, Technology and Innovation Act establishing three mechanisms for financing research and innovation, a clear indication of high-level commitment. These mechanisms are the National Fund for Education and Research, the National Fund for Research and Innovation for Development and the Forum of Scientific Research and Technological Innovation.
Demographics
| Population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Million | ||
| 1950 | 4.3 | ||
| 2000 | 11.6 | ||
| 2021 | 22.1 | ||
Burkina Faso is an ethnically integrated, secular state where most people are concentrated in the south and centre, where their density sometimes exceeds 48 inhabitants per square kilometre (120/sq mi). Hundreds of thousands of Burkinabè migrate regularly to Ivory Coast and Ghana, mainly for seasonal agricultural work. These flows of workers are affected by external events; the September 2002 coup attempt in Ivory Coast and the ensuing fighting meant that hundreds of thousands of Burkinabè returned to Burkina Faso. The regional economy suffered when they were unable to work.
In 2015, most of the population belonged to "one of two West African ethnic cultural groups: the Voltaic and the Mandé. Voltaic Mossi make up about 50% of the population and are descended from warriors who moved to the area from Ghana around 1100, establishing an empire that lasted over 800 years".
The total fertility rate of Burkina Faso was estimated to be 5.93 children born per woman in 2014, the sixth highest in the world.
In 2009 the U.S. Department of State's Trafficking in Persons Report reported that slavery in Burkina Faso continued to exist and that Burkinabè children were often the victims. Slavery in the Sahel states in general, is an entrenched institution with a long history that dates back to the trans-Saharan slave trade. In 2018, an estimated 82,000 people in the country were living under "modern slavery" according to the Global Slavery Index.
Largest cities or towns in Burkina Faso According to the 2019 Census | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | Region | Pop. | ||||||
 Ouagadougou  Bobo-Dioulasso | 1 | Ouagadougou | Centre | 2,415,266 |  Koudougou | ||||
| 2 | Bobo-Dioulasso | Hauts-Bassins | 904,920 | ||||||
| 3 | Koudougou | Centre-Ouest | 160,239 | ||||||
| 4 | Saaba | Centre | 136,011 | ||||||
| 5 | Ouahigouya | Nord | 124,587 | ||||||
| 6 | Kaya | Centre-Nord | 121,970 | ||||||
| 7 | Banfora | Cascades | 117,452 | ||||||
| 8 | Pouytenga | Centre-Est | 96,469 | ||||||
| 9 | Houndé | Hauts-Bassins | 87,151 | ||||||
| 10 | Fada N'gourma | Est | 73,200 | ||||||
Ethnic groups
Burkina Faso's 23 million people belong to two major West African ethnic cultural groups: the Voltaic and the Mandé (whose common language is Dioula). The Voltaic Mossi make up about one-half of the population. The Mossi claim descent from warriors who migrated to present-day Burkina Faso from northern Ghana around 1100 AD. They established an empire that lasted more than 800 years. Predominantly farmers, the Mossi kingdom is led by the Mogho Naba, whose court is in Ouagadougou.
Languages
Burkina Faso is a multilingual country. The working languages are French, which was introduced during the colonial period, and English. In December 2023, due to deteriorating relations between Burkina Faso and the French government, the Burkina Faso government announced it was elevating (Mooré, Bissa, Dyula and Fula) to the status of official languages. In January 2024, French was dropped as an official language, becoming a working language with English instead. Altogether, an estimated 69 languages are spoken in the country, of which about 60 languages are indigenous. The Mooré language is the most spoken language in Burkina Faso, spoken by about half the population, mainly in the central region around the capital, Ouagadougou.
According to the 2006 census, the languages spoken natively in Burkina Faso were Mooré by 40.5% of the population, Fula by 9.3%, Gourmanché by 6.1%, Bambara by 4.9%, Bissa by 3.2%, Bwamu by 2.1%, Dagara by 2%, San by 1.9%, Lobiri with 1.8%, Lyélé with 1.7%, Bobo and Sénoufo with 1.4% each, Nuni by 1.2%, Dafing by 1.1%, Tamasheq by 1%, Kassem by 0.7%, Gouin by 0.4%, Dogon, Songhai, and Gourounsi by 0.3% each, Ko, Koussassé, Sembla, and Siamou by 0.1% each, other national languages by 5%, other African languages by 0.2%, French (the official language) by 1.3%, and other non-indigenous languages by 0.1%.
In the west, Mandé languages are widely spoken, the most predominant being Dyula (also known as Jula or Dioula), others including Bobo, Samo, and Marka. Fula is widespread, particularly in the north. Gourmanché is spoken in the east, while Bissa is spoken in the south.
Religion
The government of Burkina Faso's 2019 census reported that 63.8% of the population practiced Islam, and that the majority of this group belong to the Sunni branch, while a small minority adheres to Shia Islam. A significant number of Sunni Muslims identify with the Tijaniyah Sufi order.
The 2019 census also found that 26.3% of the population were Christians (20.1% being Roman Catholics and 6.2% members of Protestant denominations) and 9.0% followed traditional indigenous beliefs such as the Dogon religion, 0.2% followed other religions, and 0.7% were non-religious.
Animists are the largest religious group in the country's Sud-Ouest region, forming 48.1% of its total population.
Health
In 2016, the average life expectancy was estimated at 60 for males and 61 for females. In 2018, the under-five mortality rate and the infant mortality rate was 76 per 1000 live births. In 2014, the median age of its inhabitants was 17 and the estimated population growth rate was 3.05%.
In 2011, health expenditures was 6.5% of GDP; the maternal mortality ratio was estimated at 300 deaths per 100000 live births and the physician density at 0.05 per 1000 population in 2010. In 2012, it was estimated that the adult HIV prevalence rate (ages 15–49) was 1.0%. According to the 2011 UNAIDS Report, HIV prevalence is declining among pregnant women who attend antenatal clinics. According to a 2005 World Health Organization report, an estimated 72.5% of Burkina Faso's girls and women have had female genital mutilation, administered according to traditional rituals.
Central government spending on health was 3% in 2001. As of 2009[update], studies estimated there were as few as 10 physicians per 100,000 people. In addition, there were 41 nurses and 13 midwives per 100,000 people.Demographic and Health Surveys has completed three surveys in Burkina Faso since 1993, and had another in 2009.
A Dengue fever outbreak in 2016 killed 20 patients. Cases of the disease were reported from all 12 districts of Ouagadougou.
In the 2024 Global Hunger Index (GHI), Burkina Faso ranks 98th out of 127 countries and has a serious level of hunger with a score of 24.6
Education
Education in Burkina Faso is divided into primary, secondary and higher education. High school costs approximately CFA 25,000 (US$50) per year, which is far above the means of most Burkinabè families. Boys receive preference in schooling; as such, girls' education and literacy rates are far lower than their male counterparts. An increase in girls' schooling has been observed because of the government's policy of making school cheaper for girls and granting them more scholarships.
To proceed from primary to middle school, middle to high school or high school to college, national exams must be passed. Institutions of higher education include the University of Ouagadougou, The Polytechnic University of Bobo-Dioulasso, and the University of Koudougou, which is also a teacher training institution. There are some small private colleges in the capital city of Ouagadougou but these are affordable to only a small portion of the population.
There is also the International School of Ouagadougou (ISO), an American-based private school located in Ouagadougou.
The 2008 UN Development Program Report ranked Burkina Faso as the country with the lowest level of literacy in the world, despite a concerted effort to double its literacy rate from 12.8% in 1990 to 25.3% in 2008.
Food insecurity
According to the Global Hunger Index, a multidimensional tool used to measure and track a country's hunger levels, Burkina Faso ranked 65 out of 78 countries in 2013. It is estimated that there are currently over 1.5 million children who are at risk of food insecurity in Burkina Faso, with around 350,000 children who are in need of emergency medical assistance. However, only about a third of these children will actually receive adequate medical attention. Only 11.4 percent of children under the age of two receive the daily recommended number of meals. Stunted growth as a result of food insecurity is a severe problem in Burkina Faso, affecting at least a third of the population from 2008 to 2012. Additionally, stunted children, on average, tend to complete less school than children with normal growth development, further contributing to the low levels of education of the Burkina Faso population.
The European Commission expects that approximately 500,000 children under age 5 in Burkina Faso will suffer from acute malnutrition in 2015, including around 149,000 who will suffer from its most life-threatening form. Rates of micronutrient deficiencies are also high. According to the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS 2010), 49 percent of women and 88 percent of children under the age of five suffer from anemia. Forty percent of infant deaths can be attributed to malnutrition, and in turn, these infant mortality rates have decreased Burkina Faso's total work force by 13.6 percent, demonstrating how food security affects more aspects of life beyond health.
These high rates of food insecurity and the accompanying effects are even more prevalent in rural populations compared to urban ones, as access to health services in rural areas is much more limited and awareness and education of children's nutritional needs is lower.
An October 2018 report by USAid stated that droughts and floods remained problematic, and that "violence and insecurity are disrupting markets, trade and livelihoods activities in some parts of Burkina Faso's northern and eastern areas". The report estimated that over 954,300 people needed food security support, and that, according to UNICEF, an "estimated 187,200 children under 5 years of age will experience severe acute malnutrition". Agencies providing assistance at the time included USAID's Office of Food for Peace (FFP) working with the UN World Food Programme, the NGO Oxfam Intermón and ACDI/VOCA.
Approaches to improving food security
World Food Programme
The United Nations' World Food Programme has worked on programs that are geared towards increasing food security in Burkina Faso. The Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation 200509 (PRRO) was formed to respond to the high levels of malnutrition in Burkina Faso, following the food and nutrition crisis in 2012. The efforts of this project are mostly geared towards the treatment and prevention of malnutrition and include take home rations for the caretakers of those children who are being treated for malnutrition. Additionally, the activities of this operation contribute to families' abilities to withstand future food crises. Better nutrition among the two most vulnerable groups, young children and pregnant women, prepares them to be able to respond better in times when food security is compromised, such as in droughts.
The Country Programme (CP) has two parts: food and nutritional assistance to people with HIV/AIDS, and a school feeding program for all primary schools in the Sahel region. The HIV/AIDS nutrition program aims to better the nutritional recovery of those who are living with HIV/AIDS and to protect at-risk children and orphans from malnutrition and food security. As part of the school feeding component, the Country Programme's goals are to increase enrollment and attendance in schools in the Sahel region, where enrollment rates are below the national average. Furthermore, the program aims at improving gender parity rates in these schools, by providing girls with high attendance in the last two years of primary school with take-home rations of cereals as an incentive to households, encouraging them to send their girls to school.
The WFP concluded the formation of a subsequently approved plan in August 2018 "to support the Government's vision of 'a democratic, unified and united nation, transforming the structure of its economy and achieving a strong and inclusive growth through patterns of sustainable consumption and production.' It will take important steps in WFP's new strategic direction for strengthened national and local capacities to enable the Government and communities to own, manage, and implement food and nutrition security programmes by 2030".
World Bank
The World Bank was established in 1944, and comprises five institutions whose shared goals are to end extreme poverty by 2030 and to promote shared prosperity by fostering income growth of the lower forty percent of every country. One of the main projects the World Bank is working on to reduce food insecurity in Burkina Faso is the Agricultural Productivity and Food Security Project. According to the World Bank, the objective of this project is to "improve the capacity of poor producers to increase food production and to ensure improved availability of food products in rural markets." The Agricultural Productivity and Food Security Project has three main parts. Its first component is to work towards the improvement of food production, including financing grants and providing 'voucher for work' programs for households who cannot pay their contribution in cash. The project's next component involves improving the availability of food products, particularly in rural areas. This includes supporting the marketing of food products, and aims to strengthen the capabilities of stakeholders to control the variability of food products and supplies at local and national levels. Lastly, the third component of this project focuses on institutional development and capacity building. Its goal is to reinforce the capacities of service providers and institutions who are specifically involved in project implementation. The project's activities aim to build capacities of service providers, strengthen the capacity of food producer organizations, strengthen agricultural input supply delivery methods, and manage and evaluate project activities.
The December 2018 report by the World Bank indicated that the poverty rate fell slightly between 2009 and 2014, from 46% to a still high 40.1%. The report provided this updated summary of the country's development challenges: "Burkina Faso remains vulnerable to climatic shocks related to changes in rainfall patterns and to fluctuations in the prices of its export commodities on world markets. Its economic and social development will, to some extent, be contingent on political stability in the country and the sub-regions, its openness to international trade, and export diversification".
Culture
Literature in Burkina Faso is based on the oral tradition, which remains important. In 1934, during French occupation, Dim-Dolobsom Ouedraogo published his Maximes, pensées et devinettes mossi (Maxims, Thoughts and Riddles of the Mossi), a record of the oral history of the Mossi people.
The oral tradition continued to have an influence on Burkinabè writers in the post-independence Burkina Faso of the 1960s, such as Nazi Boni and Roger Nikiema. The 1960s saw a growth in the number of playwrights being published. Since the 1970s, literature has developed in Burkina Faso with many more writers being published.
The theatre of Burkina Faso combines traditional Burkinabè performance with the colonial influences and post-colonial efforts to educate rural people to produce a distinctive national theatre. Traditional ritual ceremonies of the many ethnic groups in Burkina Faso have long involved dancing with masks. Western-style theatre became common during colonial times, heavily influenced by French theatre. With independence came a new style of theatre inspired by forum theatre aimed at educating and entertaining Burkina Faso's rural people.[citation needed]
Slam poetry is increasing in popularity in the country, in part due to the efforts of slam poet Malika Outtara. She uses her skills to raise awareness around issues such as blood donation, albinism and the impact of COVID-19.
Arts and crafts
In addition to several rich traditional artistic heritages among the peoples, there is a large artist community in Burkina Faso, especially in Ouagadougou. Much of the crafts produced are for the country's growing tourist industry.
Burkina Faso also hosts the International Art and Craft Fair, Ouagadougou. It is better known by its French name as SIAO, Le Salon International de l' Artisanat de Ouagadougou, and is one of the most important African handicraft fairs.
Music
The music of Burkina Faso includes the folk music of 60 different ethnic groups. The Mossi people, centrally located around the capital, Ouagadougou, account for 40% of the population while, to the south, Gurunsi, Gurma, Dagaaba and Lobi populations, speaking Gur languages closely related to the Mossi language, extend into the coastal states. In the north and east the Fulani of the Sahel preponderate, while in the south and west the Mande languages are common; Samo, Bissa, Bobo, Senufo and Marka. Burkinabé traditional music has continued to thrive and musical output remains quite diverse. Popular music is mostly in French: Burkina Faso has yet to produce a major pan-African success.
Media
The nation's principal media outlet is its state-sponsored combined television and radio service, Radio Télévision du Burkina (RTB).RTB broadcasts on two medium-wave (AM) and several FM frequencies. Besides RTB, there are privately owned sports, cultural, music, and religious FM radio stations. RTB maintains a worldwide short-wave news broadcast (Radio Nationale Burkina) in the French language from the capital at Ouagadougou using a 100 kW transmitter on 4.815 and 5.030 MHz.
Attempts to develop an independent press and media in Burkina Faso have been intermittent. In 1998, investigative journalist Norbert Zongo, his brother Ernest, his driver, and another man were assassinated by unknown assailants, and the bodies burned. The crime was never solved. However, an independent Commission of Inquiry later concluded that Norbert Zongo was killed for political reasons because of his investigative work into the death of David Ouedraogo, a chauffeur who worked for François Compaoré, President Blaise Compaoré's brother.
In January 1999, François Compaoré was charged with the murder of David Ouedraogo, who had died as a result of torture in January 1998. The charges were later dropped by a military tribunal after an appeal. In August 2000, five members of the President's personal security guard detail (Régiment de la Sécurité Présidentielle, or RSP) were charged with the murder of Ouedraogo. RSP members Marcel Kafando, Edmond Koama, and Ousseini Yaro, investigated as suspects in the Norbert Zongo assassination, were convicted in the Ouedraogo case and sentenced to lengthy prison terms.
Since the death of Norbert Zongo, several protests regarding the Zongo investigation and treatment of journalists have been prevented or dispersed by government police and security forces. In April 2007, popular radio reggae host Karim Sama, whose programs feature reggae songs interspersed with critical commentary on alleged government injustice and corruption, received several death threats.
Sama's personal car was later burned outside the private radio station Ouaga FM by unknown vandals. In response, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) wrote to President Compaoré to request his government investigate the sending of e-mailed death threats to journalists and radio commentators in Burkina Faso who were critical of the government. In December 2008, police in Ouagadougou questioned leaders of a protest march that called for a renewed investigation into the unsolved Zongo assassination. Among the marchers was Jean-Claude Meda, the president of the Association of Journalists of Burkina Faso.
Cinema
The cinema of Burkina Faso is an important part of the West African film industry and African film as a whole. Burkina's contribution to African cinema started with the establishment of the film festival FESPACO (Festival Panafricain du Cinéma et de la Télévision de Ouagadougou), which was launched as a film week in 1969. Many of the nation's filmmakers are known internationally and have won international prizes.
For many years the headquarters of the Federation of Panafrican Filmmakers (FEPACI) was in Ouagadougou, rescued in 1983 from a period of moribund inactivity by the enthusiastic support and funding of President Sankara. (In 2006 the Secretariat of FEPACI moved to South Africa, but the headquarters of the organization is still in Ouagadougou.) Among the best known directors from Burkina Faso are Gaston Kaboré, Idrissa Ouedraogo and Dani Kouyate. Burkina produces popular television series such as Les Bobodiouf. Internationally known filmmakers such as Ouedraogo, Kabore, Yameogo, and Kouyate make popular television series.
Cuisine
Typical of West African cuisine, Burkina Faso's cuisine is based on staple foods of sorghum, millet, rice, maize, peanuts, potatoes, beans, yams and okra. The most common sources of animal protein are chicken, chicken eggs and freshwater fish. A typical Burkinabè beverage is Banji or Palm Wine, which is fermented palm sap; and Zoom-kom, or "grain water" purportedly the national drink of Burkina Faso. Zoom-kom is milky-looking and whitish, having a water and cereal base, best drunk with ice cubes. In the more rural regions, in the outskirts of Burkina, you would find Dolo, which is drink made from fermented millet. In times of crisis, one legume native to Burkina, Zamnè, can be served as a main dish or in a sauce.
Cultural festivals and events
Every two years, Ouagadougou hosts the Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO), the largest African cinema festival on the continent (February, odd years).
Held every two years since 1988, the International Art and Craft Fair, Ouagadougou (SIAO), is one of Africa's most important trade shows for art and handicrafts (late October-early November, even years).
Also every two years, the Symposium de sculpture sur granit de Laongo takes place on a site located about 35 kilometres (22 miles) from Ouagadougou, in the province of Oubritenga.
The National Culture Week of Burkina Faso, better known by its French name La Semaine Nationale de la culture (SNC), is one of the most important cultural activities of Burkina Faso. It is a biennial event which takes place every two years in Bobo Dioulasso, the second-largest city in the country.
The Festival International des Masques et des Arts (FESTIMA), celebrating traditional masks, is held every two years in Dédougou.
Sports
Sport in Burkina Faso is widespread and includes football, basketball, cycling, rugby union, handball, tennis, boxing and martial arts. Football is the most popular sport in Burkina Faso, played both professionally, and informally in towns and villages across the country. The national team is nicknamed "Les Etalons" ("the Stallions") in reference to the legendary horse of Princess Yennenga.
In 1998, Burkina Faso hosted the Africa Cup of Nations for which the Omnisport Stadium in Bobo-Dioulasso was built. Burkina Faso qualified for the 2013 African Cup of Nations in South Africa and reached the final, but then lost to Nigeria 0–1. The country has never qualified for a FIFA World Cup.
Basketball is another sport which enjoys much popularity for both men and women. The country's men's national team had its most successful year in 2013 when it qualified for the AfroBasket, the continent's prime basketball event.
At the 2020 Summer Olympics, the athlete Hugues Fabrice Zango won Burkina Faso's first Olympic medal, winning bronze in the men's triple jump. Cricket is also picking up in Burkina Faso with Cricket Burkina Faso running a 10 club league.
See also
- Index of Burkina Faso-related articles
- Outline of Burkina Faso
- 2023 in Burkina Faso
Notes
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Bibliography
- Rupley, Lawrence; Bangali, Lamissa & Diamitani, Boureima (2013). Historical Dictionary of Burkina Faso. The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-6770-3.
Further reading
- Engberg-Perderson, Lars, Endangering Development: Politics, Projects, and Environment in Burkina Faso (Praeger Publishers, 2003).
- Englebert, Pierre, Burkina Faso: Unsteady Statehood in West Africa (Perseus, 1999).
- Howorth, Chris, Rebuilding the Local Landscape: Environmental Management in Burkina Faso (Ashgate, 1999).
- McFarland, Daniel Miles and Rupley, Lawrence A, Historical Dictionary of Burkina Faso (Scarecrow Press, 1998).
- Manson, Katrina and Knight, James, Burkina Faso (Bradt Travel Guides, 2011).
- Roy, Christopher D and Wheelock, Thomas G B, Land of the Flying Masks: Art and Culture in Burkina Faso: The Thomas G.B. Wheelock Collection (Prestel Publishing, 2007).
- Sankara, Thomas, Thomas Sankara Speaks: The Burkina Faso Revolution 1983–1987 (Pathfinder Press, 2007).
- Sankara, Thomas, We are the Heirs of the World's Revolutions: Speeches from the Burkina Faso Revolution 1983–1987 (Pathfinder Press, 2007).
External links
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Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa bordered by Mali to the northwest Niger to the northeast Benin to the southeast Togo and Ghana to the south and Ivory Coast to the southwest It covers an area of 274 223 km2 105 878 sq mi In 2021 the country had an estimated population of approximately 23 674 480 Previously called the Republic of Upper Volta 1958 1984 it was renamed Burkina Faso by former president Thomas Sankara Its citizens are known as Burkinabe and its capital and largest city is Ouagadougou Burkina FasoBurkĩna Faso Mossi 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮 Fula Burkina Fasoߓߙߎߞߌߣߊ ߝߊ ߛߏ Dyula Burukina FasoFlag Coat of armsMotto La Patrie ou la Mort Nous Vaincrons French Homeland or Death we will Conquer Anthem Ditanye source source track Show globeShow map of AfricaCapitaland largest cityOuagadougou 12 22 N 1 32 W 12 367 N 1 533 W 12 367 1 533Official languagesMooreBissaDyulaFulaWorking languagesEnglishFrenchEthnic groups 2010 est 52 Mossi8 4 Fula7 Gurma4 9 Bobo4 6 Gurunsi4 5 Senufo2 4 Lobi1 9 Tuareg0 8 DyulaDemonym s BurkinabeBurkineseGovernmentUnitary republic under a military junta Interim President and MPSR PresidentIbrahim Traore Prime MinisterJean Emmanuel OuedraogoLegislatureTransitional Legislative AssemblyHistory Republic of Upper Volta proclaimed11 December 1958 Independence from France5 August 1960 1966 Upper Voltan coup d etat3 January 1966 2014 Burkina Faso uprising28 October 3 November 2014 Jan 2022 Burkina Faso coup d etat23 24 January 2022 Sep 2022 Burkina Faso coup d etat30 September 2022Area Total274 223 km2 105 878 sq mi 74th Water 0 146 Population 2023 estimate22 489 126 58th Density64 km2 165 8 sq mi GDP PPP 2023 estimate Total 62 788 billion 114th Per capita 2 682 171st GDP nominal 2023 estimate Total 20 785 billion 124th Per capita 888 180th Gini 2021 37 4 medium inequalityHDI 2022 0 438 low 185th CurrencyWest African CFA franc XOF Time zoneUTC 00 00Date formatdd mm yyyyDrives onRightCalling code 226ISO 3166 codeBFInternet TLD bf The largest ethnic group in Burkina Faso is the Mossi people who settled the area in the 11th and 13th centuries They established powerful kingdoms such as the Ouagadougou Tenkodogo and Yatenga In 1896 it was colonized by the French as part of French West Africa in 1958 Upper Volta became a self governing colony within the French Community In 1960 it gained full independence with Maurice Yameogo as president Since it gained its independence the country has been subject to instability droughts famines and corruption There have also been various coups in 1966 1980 1982 1983 1987 and twice in 2022 January and September There were also unsuccessful coup attempts in 1989 2015 and 2023 Thomas Sankara came to power following a successful coup in 1983 As president Sankara embarked on a series of ambitious socioeconomic reforms which included a nationwide literacy campaign land redistribution to peasants vaccinations for over 2 million children railway and road construction equalized access to education and the outlawing of female genital mutilation forced marriages and polygamy He served as the country s president until 1987 when he was deposed and assassinated in a coup led by Blaise Compaore who became president and ruled the country until his removal on 31 October 2014 Since the mid 2010s Burkina Faso has been severely affected by the rise of insurgencies in the Sahel Several militias partly allied with the Islamic State IS or al Qaeda operate in Burkina Faso and across the border in Mali and Niger More than one million of the country s 21 million inhabitants are internally displaced persons Burkina Faso s military seized power in a coup d etat on 23 and 24 January 2022 overthrowing President Roch Marc Kabore On 31 January the military junta restored the constitution and appointed Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba as interim president but he was himself overthrown in a second coup on 30 September and replaced by military captain Ibrahim Traore Burkina Faso remains one of the least developed countries in the world with a GDP of 16 226 billion in 2022 Approximately 63 8 of its population practices Islam while 26 3 practices Christianity The country s four official languages are Moore Bissa Dyula and Fula with the first one being spoken by over half the population the Burkinabe government also officially recognizes 60 indigenous languages The former government and business language was French until January 2024 whose status was demoted to that of a working language alongside English by ratification of a constitutional amendment The country s territory is geographically biodiverse and includes plentiful reserves of gold manganese copper and limestone Due to its multicultural make up Burkinabe art has a rich and long history and is globally renowned for its orthodox style The country is governed as a semi presidential republic with executive legislative and judicial powers It is a member of the United Nations La Francophonie and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation On 18 January 2024 Burkina Faso announced its exit from ECOWAS and the African Union EtymologyFormerly the Republic of Upper Volta the country was renamed Burkina Faso on 4 August 1984 by then President Thomas Sankara The words Burkina and Faso stem from different languages spoken in the country Burkina comes from Moore and means upright showing how the people are proud of their integrity while Faso comes from the Dyula language as written in N Ko ߝߊ ߛߏ faso and means fatherland literally father s house The be suffix added onto Burkina to form the demonym Burkinabe comes from the Fula language and means women or men The CIA summarizes the etymology as land of the honest incorruptible men The French Colony of Upper Volta was named for its location on the upper courses of the Volta River the Black Red and White Volta HistoryEarly history The northwestern part of present day Burkina Faso was populated by hunter gatherers from 14 000 BCE to 5 000 BCE Their tools including scrapers chisels and arrowheads were discovered in 1973 through archaeological excavations Agricultural settlements were established between 3600 and 2600 BCE The Bura culture was an Iron Age civilization centred in the southwest portion of modern day Niger and in the southeast part of contemporary Burkina Faso Iron industry in smelting and forging for tools and weapons had developed in Sub Saharan Africa by 1200 BCE To date the oldest evidence of iron smelting found in Burkina Faso dates from 800 to 700 BCE and forms part of the Ancient Ferrous Metallurgy World Heritage Site From the 3rd to the 13th centuries CE the Iron Age Bura culture existed in the territory of present day southeastern Burkina Faso and southwestern Niger Various ethnic groups of present day Burkina Faso such as the Mossi Fula and Dioula arrived in successive waves between the 8th and 15th centuries From the 11th century the Mossi people established several separate kingdoms West Africa circa 18758th to 18th centuries There is debate about the exact dates when Burkina Faso s many ethnic groups arrived to the area The arrived in the far eastern part of what is today Burkina Faso sometime between the 8th and 11th centuries and accepted Islam as their religion in the 11th century The Samo arrived around the 15th century The Dogon lived in Burkina Faso s north and northwest regions until sometime in the 15th or 16th centuries and many of the other ethnic groups that make up the country s population arrived in the region during this time The cavalry of the Mossi Kingdoms were experts at raiding deep into enemy territory even against the formidable Mali Empire Armed men prevent the French explorer Louis Gustave Binger from entering Sia Bobo Dioulasso during his stay in April 1892 During the Middle Ages the Mossi established several separate kingdoms including those of Tenkodogo Yatenga Zandoma and Ouagadougou Sometime between 1328 and 1338 Mossi warriors raided Timbuktu but the Mossi were defeated by Sonni Ali of Songhai at the Battle of Kobi in Mali in 1483 During the early 16th century the Songhai conducted many slave raids into what is today Burkina Faso During the 18th century the Gwiriko Empire was established at Bobo Dioulasso and ethnic groups such as the Dyan Lobi and Birifor settled along the Black Volta From colony to independence 1890s 1958 This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed December 2017 Learn how and when to remove this message Starting in the early 1890s during the European Scramble for Africa a series of European military officers made attempts to claim parts of what is today Burkina Faso At times these colonialists and their armies fought the local peoples at times they forged alliances with them and made treaties The colonialist officers and their home governments also made treaties among themselves The territory of Burkina Faso was invaded by France becoming a French protectorate in 1896 French West Africa c 1913 The eastern and western regions where a standoff against the forces of the powerful ruler Samori Ture complicated the situation came under French occupation in 1897 By 1898 the majority of the territory corresponding to Burkina Faso was nominally conquered however French control of many parts remained uncertain The Franco British Convention of 14 June 1898 created the country s modern borders In the French territory a war of conquest against local communities and political powers continued for about five years In 1904 the largely pacified territories of the Volta basin were integrated into the Upper Senegal and Niger colony of French West Africa as part of the reorganization of the French West African colonial empire The colony had its capital in Bamako The language of colonial administration and schooling became French The public education system started from humble origins Advanced education was provided for many years during the colonial period in Dakar The indigenous population was highly discriminated against For example African children were not allowed to ride bicycles or pick fruit from trees privileges reserved for the children of colonists Violating these regulations could land parents in jail Draftees from the territory participated in the European fronts of World War I in the battalions of the Senegalese Rifles Between 1915 and 1916 the districts in the western part of what is now Burkina Faso and the bordering eastern fringe of Mali became the stage of one of the most important armed oppositions to colonial government the Volta Bani War The French government finally suppressed the movement but only after suffering defeats It also had to organize its largest expeditionary force of its colonial history to send into the country to suppress the insurrection Armed opposition wracked the Sahelian north when the Tuareg and allied groups of the Dori region ended their truce with the government The capital Ouagadougou in 1930 French Upper Volta was established on 1 March 1919 The French feared a recurrence of armed uprising and had related economic considerations To bolster its administration the colonial government separated the present territory of Burkina Faso from Upper Senegal and Niger The new colony was named Haute Volta for its location on the upper courses of the Volta River the Black Red and White Volta and Francois Charles Alexis Edouard Hesling became its first governor Hesling initiated an ambitious road making program to improve infrastructure and promoted the growth of cotton for export The cotton policy based on coercion failed and revenue generated by the colony stagnated The colony was dismantled on 5 September 1932 being split between the French colonies of Ivory Coast French Sudan and Niger Ivory Coast received the largest share which contained most of the population as well as the cities of Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso France reversed this change during the period of intense anti colonial agitation that followed the end of World War II On 4 September 1947 it revived the colony of Upper Volta with its previous boundaries as a part of the French Union The French designated its colonies as departments of metropolitan France on the European continent On 11 December 1958 the colony achieved self government as the Republic of Upper Volta it joined the Franco African Community A revision in the organization of French Overseas Territories had begun with the passage of the Basic Law Loi Cadre of 23 July 1956 This act was followed by reorganization measures approved by the French parliament early in 1957 to ensure a large degree of self government for individual territories Upper Volta became an autonomous republic in the French community on 11 December 1958 Full independence from France was received in 1960 Upper Volta 1958 1984 Maurice Yameogo the first president of Upper Volta examines documents pertaining to the ratification of the country s independence in 1960 The Republic of Upper Volta French Republique de Haute Volta was established on 11 December 1958 as a self governing colony within the French Community The name Upper Volta related to the nation s location along the upper reaches of the Volta River The river s three tributaries are called the Black White and Red Volta These were expressed in the three colors of the former national flag Before attaining autonomy it had been French Upper Volta and part of the French Union On 5 August 1960 it attained full independence from France The first president Maurice Yameogo was the leader of the Voltaic Democratic Union UDV The 1960 constitution provided for election by universal suffrage of a president and a national assembly for five year terms Soon after coming to power Yameogo banned all political parties other than the UDV The government lasted until 1966 After much unrest including mass demonstrations and strikes by students labor unions and civil servants the military intervened Lamizana s rule and multiple coups The 1966 military coup deposed Yameogo suspended the constitution dissolved the National Assembly and placed Lt Col Sangoule Lamizana at the head of a government of senior army officers The army remained in power for four years On 14 June 1976 the Voltans ratified a new constitution that established a four year transition period toward complete civilian rule Lamizana remained in power throughout the 1970s as president of military or mixed civil military governments Lamizana s rule coincided with the beginning of the Sahel drought and famine which had a devastating impact on Upper Volta and neighboring countries After conflict over the 1976 constitution a new constitution was written and approved in 1977 Lamizana was re elected by open elections in 1978 Lamizana s government faced problems with the country s traditionally powerful trade unions and on 25 November 1980 Col Saye Zerbo overthrew President Lamizana in a bloodless coup Colonel Zerbo established the Military Committee of Recovery for National Progress as the supreme governmental authority thus eradicating the 1977 constitution Colonel Zerbo also encountered resistance from trade unions and was overthrown two years later by Maj Dr Jean Baptiste Ouedraogo and the Council of Popular Salvation CSP in the 1982 Upper Voltan coup d etat The CSP continued to ban political parties and organizations yet promised a transition to civilian rule and a new constitution 1983 coup d etat Infighting developed between the right and left factions of the CSP The leader of the leftists Capt Thomas Sankara was appointed prime minister in January 1983 but was subsequently arrested Efforts to free him directed by Capt Blaise Compaore resulted in a military coup d etat on 4 August 1983 The coup brought Sankara to power and his government began to implement a series of revolutionary programs which included mass vaccinations infrastructure improvements the expansion of women s rights encouragement of domestic agricultural consumption and anti desertification projects Burkina Faso since 1984 On 2 August 1984 on Sankara s initiative the country s name changed from Upper Volta to Burkina Faso or land of the honest men the literal translation is land of the upright men need quotation to verify The presidential decree was confirmed by the National Assembly on 4 August 1984 Sankara s government comprised the National Council for the Revolution CNR French Conseil national revolutionnaire with Sankara as its president and established popular Committees for the Defense of the Revolution CDRs The Pioneers of the Revolution youth programme was also established Sankara launched an ambitious socioeconomic programme for change one of the largest ever undertaken on the African continent His foreign policies centred on anti imperialism with his government rejecting all foreign aid pushing for odious debt reduction nationalising all land and mineral wealth and averting the power and influence of the International Monetary Fund IMF and World Bank His domestic policies included a nationwide literacy campaign land redistribution to peasants railway and road construction and the outlawing of female genital mutilation forced marriages and polygamy Sankara pushed for agrarian self sufficiency and promoted public health by vaccinating 2 500 000 children against meningitis yellow fever and measles His national agenda also included planting over 10 000 000 trees to halt the growing desertification of the Sahel Sankara called on every village to build a medical dispensary and had over 350 communities build schools with their own labour In the 1980s when ecological awareness was still very low Sankara was one of the few African leaders to consider environmental protection a priority He engaged in three major battles against bush fires which will be considered as crimes and will be punished as such against cattle roaming which infringes on the rights of peoples because unattended animals destroy nature and against the illegitimate cutting of firewood whose profession will have to be organized and regulated As part of a development program involving a large part of the population ten million trees were planted in Burkina Faso in fifteen months during the revolution To face the advancing desert and recurrent droughts Sankara also proposed the planting of wooded strips about fifty kilometers wide crossing the country from east to west Cereal production close to 1 1 billion tons before 1983 was predicted to rise to 1 6 billion tons in 1987 Jean Ziegler former UN special rapporteur for the right to food said that the country had become food self sufficient Compaore presidency Blaise Compaore left President 1987 2014 shaking hands with George W Bush On 15 October 1987 Sankara and twelve other government officials were assassinated in a coup d etat organized by Blaise Compaore Sankara s former colleague who took over as Burkina Faso s president He held the position until October 2014 After the coup and although Sankara was known to be dead some CDRs mounted an armed resistance to the army for several days A majority quantify of Burkinabe citizens hold that France s foreign ministry the Quai d Orsay was behind Compaore in organizing the coup There is some evidence for France s support of the coup Compaore gave the deterioration in relations with neighbouring countries as one of the reasons for the coup He argued that Sankara had jeopardised foreign relations with the former colonial power France and with neighbouring Ivory Coast Following the coup Compaore immediately reversed the nationalizations overturned nearly all of Sankara s policies returned the country back into the IMF fold and ultimately spurned most of Sankara s legacy Following an alleged coup attempt in 1989 Compaore introduced limited democratic reforms in 1990 Under the new 1991 constitution Compaore was re elected without opposition in December 1991 In 1998 Compaore won election in a landslide In 2004 13 people were tried for plotting a coup against President Compaore and the coup s alleged mastermind was sentenced to life imprisonment In 2000 the constitution was amended to reduce the presidential term to five years and set term limits to two preventing successive re election The amendment took effect during the 2005 elections If passed beforehand it would have prevented Compaore from being reelected Other presidential candidates challenged the election results But in October 2005 the constitutional council ruled that because Compaore was the sitting president in 2000 the amendment would not apply to him until the end of his second term in office This cleared the way for his candidacy in the 2005 election On 13 November 2005 he was reelected in a landslide because of a divided political opposition In the 2010 presidential election Compaore was re elected Only 1 6 million Burkinabe voted out of a total population 10 times that size In February 2011 the death of a schoolboy provoked the 2011 Burkinabe protests a series of popular protests coupled with a military mutiny and a magistrates strike that called for Compaore s resignation democratic reforms higher wages for troops and public servants and economic freedom As a result governors were replaced and wages for public servants were raised In April 2011 there was an army mutiny the president named new chiefs of staff and a curfew was imposed in Ouagadougou Compaore s government played the role of negotiator in several West African disputes including the 2010 2011 Ivorian crisis the Inter Togolese Dialogue 2007 and the 2012 Malian Crisis As of 2014 update Burkina Faso remained one of the least developed countries in the world Kafando presidency Thousands of protesters march through Ouagadougou Starting on 28 October 2014 protesters began to march and demonstrate in Ouagadougou against President Compaore who appeared need quotation to verify ready to amend the constitution and extend his 27 year rule On 30 October some protesters set fire to the parliament building and took over the national TV headquarters Ouagadougou International Airport closed and MPs suspended the vote on changing the constitution the change would have allowed Compaore to stand for re election in 2015 Later in the day the military dissolved all government institutions and imposed a curfew On 31 October 2014 Compaore resigned Lt Col Isaac Zida said that he would lead the country during its transitional period before the planned 2015 presidential election but there were concerns by whom over his close ties to the former president In November 2014 opposition parties civil society groups and religious leaders adopted a plan for a transitional authority to guide Burkina Faso to elections Under the plan Michel Kafando became the transitional president and Lt Col Zida became the acting Prime Minister and Defense Minister On 16 September 2015 the Regiment of Presidential Security RSP carried out a coup d etat seizing the president and prime minister and then declaring the National Council for Democracy the new national government However on 22 September 2015 the coup leader Gilbert Diendere apologized and promised to restore civilian government On 23 September 2015 the prime minister and interim president were restored to power Kabore presidency and Jihadist insurgency 2015 2023 General elections took place on 29 November 2015 Roch Marc Christian Kabore won the election in the first round with 53 5 of the vote defeating businessman Zephirin Diabre who took 29 7 Kabore was sworn in as president on 29 December 2015 Kabore was re elected in the general election of 22 November 2020 but his party Mouvement du Peuple pour le Progres MPP failed to reach absolute parliamentary majority It secured 56 seats out of a total of 127 The Congress for Democracy and Progress CDP the party of former President Blaise Compaore was distant second with 20 seats Smoke rising from French Embassy in Ouagadougou 2 March 2018 during the 2018 Ouagadougou attacks A Jihadist insurgency began in August 2015 part of the Islamist insurgency in the Sahel Between August 2015 and October 2016 seven different posts were attacked across the country On 15 January 2016 terrorists attacked the capital city of Ouagadougou killing 30 people Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Al Mourabitoune which until then had mostly operated in neighbouring Mali claimed responsibility for the attack In 2016 attacks increased after a new group Ansarul Islam led by imam Ibrahim Malam Dicko was founded Its attacks focused particularly on Soum province and it killed dozens of people in the attack on Nassoumbou on 16 December Between 27 March 10 April 2017 the governments of Mali France and Burkina Faso launched a joint operation named Operation Panga which involved 1 300 soldiers from the three countries in the Fhero Forest near the Burkina Faso Mali border considered a sanctuary for Ansarul Islam The head of Ansarul Islam Ibrahim Malam Dicko was killed in June 2017 and became leader On 2 March 2018 Jama at Nasr al Islam wal Muslimin attacked the French embassy in Ouagadougou as well as the general staff of the Burkinabe army Eight soldiers and eight attackers were killed and a further 61 soldiers and 24 civilians were injured The insurgency expanded to the east of the country and in early October the Armed Forces of Burkina Faso launched a major military operation in the country s East supported by French forces According to Human Rights Watch between mid 2018 to February 2019 at least 42 people were murdered by jihadists and a minimum of 116 mostly Fulani civilians were killed by military forces without trial The attacks increased significantly in 2019 According to the ACLED armed violence in Burkina Faso jumped by 174 in 2019 with nearly 1 300 civilians dead and 860 000 displaced Jihadist groups also began to specifically target Christians Displaced Fulani civilians in the aftermath of the Yirgou massacre On 8 July 2020 the United States raised concerns after a Human Rights Watch report revealed mass graves with at least 180 bodies which were found in northern Burkina Faso where soldiers were fighting jihadists On 4 June 2021 the Associated Press reported that according to the government of Burkina Faso gunmen killed at least 100 people in Solhan village in northern Burkina Faso near the Niger border A local market and several homes were also burned down A government spokesman blamed jihadists Heni Nsaibia senior researcher at the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project said it was the deadliest attack recorded in Burkina Faso since the beginning of the jihadist insurgency From 4 5 June 2021 unknown militants massacred over 170 people in the villages of Solhan and Tadaryat Jihadists killed 80 people in Gorgadji on 20 August On 14 November the Jama at Nasr al Islam wal Muslimin attacked a gendarmerie in Inata killing 53 soldiers the heaviest loss of life by the Burkinabe military during the insurgency and a major morale loss in the country In December Islamists killed 41 people in an ambush including the popular vigilante leader Ladji Yoro Yoro was a central figure in the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland VDP a pro government militia that had taken a leading role in the struggle against Islamists In 2023 shortly after the murder of a Catholic priest at the hands of insurgents the bishop of Dori Laurent Dabire claimed in an interview with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need that around 50 of the country was in the hands of Islamists 2022 coups d etat In a successful coup on 24 January 2022 mutinying soldiers arrested and deposed President Roch Marc Christian Kabore following gunfire The Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration MPSR supported by the military declared itself to be in power led by Lieutenant Colonel Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba On 31 January the military junta restored the constitution and appointed Damiba interim president In the aftermath of the coup ECOWAS and the African Union suspended Burkina Faso s membership On 10 February the Constitutional Council declared Damiba president He was sworn in as president on 16 February On 1 March 2022 the junta approved a charter allowing a military led transition of 3 years The charter provides for the transition process to be followed by the holding of elections President Kabore who had been detained since the military junta took power was released on 6 April 2022 The insurgency continued following the coup with about 60 of the country under government control The Siege of Djibo began in February 2022 and continued as of June 2023 Between 100 and 165 people were killed in Seytenga Department Seno Province on 12 13 June and around 16 000 people fled their homes In June 2022 the Government announced the creation of military zones which civilians were required to vacate so that the country s Armed and Security Forces could fight insurgents without any hindrances On 30 September 2022 Damiba was ousted in a military coup led by Capt Ibrahim Traore This came eight months after Damiba seized power The rationale given by Traore for the coup d etat was the purported inability of Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba to deal with an Islamist insurgency Damiba resigned and left the country On 6 October 2022 Captain Ibrahim Traore was officially appointed as president Apollinaire Joachim Kyelem de Tambela was appointed interim Prime Minister on 21 October 2022 On 13 April 2023 authorities in Burkina Faso declared a mobilisation in order to give the nation all means necessary to combat terrorism and create a legal framework for all the actions to be taken against the insurgents in recapturing 40 of the national territory from Islamist insurgents On 20 April the Rapid Intervention Brigade committed the Karma massacre rounding up and executing civilians en masse Between 60 and 156 civilians were killed On 25 August 2024 JNIM again launched a major attack in the region of Barsalogho killing at least 400 people GeographySatellite image of Burkina FasoMap of Burkina Faso Burkina Faso lies mostly between latitudes 9 and 15 N a small area is north of 15 and longitudes 6 W and 3 E It is made up of two major types of countryside The larger part of the country is covered by a peneplain which forms a gently undulating landscape with in some areas a few isolated hills the last vestiges of a Precambrian massif The southwest of the country on the other hand forms a sandstone massif where the highest peak Tenakourou is found at an elevation of 749 meters 2 457 ft The massif is bordered by sheer cliffs up to 150 m 492 ft high The average altitude of Burkina Faso is 400 m 1 312 ft and the difference between the highest and lowest terrain is no greater than 600 m 1 969 ft Burkina Faso is therefore a relatively flat country The country owes its former name of Upper Volta to three rivers which cross it the Black Volta or Mouhoun the White Volta Nakambe and the Red Volta Nazinon The Black Volta is one of the country s only two rivers which flow year round the other being the Komoe which flows to the southwest The basin of the Niger River also drains 27 of the country s surface The Niger s tributaries the Beli Gorouol Goudebo and Dargol are seasonal streams and flow for only four to six months a year They still can flood and overflow however The country also contains numerous lakes the principal ones are Tingrela Bam and Dem The country contains large ponds as well such as Oursi Beli Yomboli and Markoye Water shortages are often a problem especially in the north of the country Savannah near the Gbomblora Department on the road from Gaoua to Batie Burkina Faso lies within two terrestrial ecoregions Sahelian Acacia savanna and West Sudanian savanna In Burkina Faso forest cover is around 23 of the total land area equivalent to 6 216 400 hectares ha of forest in 2020 down from 7 716 600 hectares ha in 1990 In 2020 naturally regenerating forest covered 6 039 300 hectares ha and planted forest covered 177 100 hectares ha Of the naturally regenerating forest 0 was reported to be primary forest consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity and around 16 of the forest area was found within protected areas For the year 2015 100 of the forest area was reported to be under public ownership Climate Map of Koppen climate classification Burkina Faso has a primarily tropical climate with two very distinct seasons In the rainy season the country receives between 600 and 900 mm 24 and 35 in of rainfall in the dry season the harmattan a hot dry wind from the Sahara blows The rainy season lasts around four months May June to September but is shorter in the north of the country Three climatic zones can be defined the Sahel the Sudan Sahel and the Sudan Guinea The Sahel in the north typically receives less than 600 mm 24 in of rainfall per year and has high temperatures 5 47 C 41 117 F A relatively dry tropical savanna the Sahel extends beyond the borders of Burkina Faso from the Horn of Africa to the Atlantic Ocean and borders the Sahara to its north and the fertile region of the Sudan to the south Situated between 11 3 and 13 5 north latitude the Sudan Sahel region is a transitional zone with regard to rainfall and temperature Further to the south the Sudan Guinea zone receives more than 900 mm 35 in of rain each year and has cooler average temperatures Damage caused by the Dourtenga floods in 2007 Geography and environment contribute to Burkina Faso s food insecurity As the country is situated in the Sahel region it has some of the most radical climatic variation in the world ranging from severe flooding to extreme drought The unpredictable climatic shocks can make it very difficult for Burkina Faso citizens to rely on and prosper from agriculture Burkina Faso s climate also renders its crops vulnerable to insect attacks including attacks from locusts and crickets which destroy crops and further inhibit food production Not only is most of the population of Burkina Faso dependent on agriculture as a source of income but they also rely on the agricultural sector for food that will directly feed the household Due to the vulnerability of agriculture more and more families are having to look for other sources of non farm income and often have to travel outside of their regional zone to find work Natural resources Burkina Faso s natural resources include gold manganese limestone marble phosphates pumice and salt Wildlife Burkina Faso has a larger number of elephants than many countries in West Africa Lions leopards and buffalo can also be found here including the dwarf or red buffalo a smaller reddish brown animal which looks like a fierce kind of short legged cow Other large predators live in Burkina Faso such as the cheetah the caracal or African lynx the spotted hyena and the African wild dog one of the continent s most endangered species Burkina Faso s fauna and flora are protected in four national parks The W National Park in the east which passes Burkina Faso Benin and Niger The Arly Wildlife Reserve Arly National Park in the east The Leraba Comoe Classified Forest and Partial Reserve of Wildlife in the west The Mare aux Hippopotames in the west and several reserves see List of national parks in Africa and List of protected areas of Burkina Faso Government and politicsThe National Assembly building in downtown Ouagadougou The constitution of 2 June 1991 established a semi presidential government its parliament could be dissolved by the President of the Republic who was to be elected for a term of seven years In 2000 the constitution was amended to reduce the presidential term to five years and set term limits to two preventing successive re election The amendment took effect during the 2005 elections The parliament consisted of one chamber known as the National Assembly which had 111 seats with members elected to serve five year terms There was also a constitutional chamber composed of ten members and an economic and social council whose roles were purely consultative The 1991 constitution created a bicameral parliament but the upper house Chamber of Representatives was abolished in 2002 The Compaore administration had worked to decentralize power by devolving some of its powers to regions and municipal authorities The widespread distrust of politicians and lack of political involvement by many residents complicated this process Critics described this as a hybrid decentralisation Political freedoms are severely restricted in Burkina Faso Human rights organizations had criticised the Compaore administration for numerous acts of state sponsored violence against journalists and other politically active members of society The prime minister is head of government and is appointed by the president with the approval of the National Assembly He is responsible for recommending a cabinet for appointment by the president Constitution In 2015 Kabore promised to revise the 1991 constitution The revision was completed in 2018 One condition prevents any individual from serving as president for more than ten years either consecutively or intermittently and provides a method for impeaching a president A referendum on the constitution for the Fifth Republic was scheduled for 24 March 2019 Certain rights are also enshrined in the revised wording access to drinking water access to decent housing and a recognition of the right to civil disobedience for example The referendum was required because the opposition parties in Parliament refused to sanction the proposed text Following the January 2022 coup d etat the military dissolved the parliament government and constitution On 31 January the military junta restored the constitution but it was suspended again following the September 2022 coup d etat Administrative divisions The country is divided into 13 administrative regions These regions encompass 45 provinces and 301 departments Each region is administered by a governor Foreign relations Burkina Faso is a member of the Community of Sahel Saharan States La Francophonie Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and United Nations It is currently suspended from ECOWAS and the African Union Until December 2023 Burkina Faso was a member of G5 Sahel a small group formed in 2014 to co operate with development and security matters However in December 2023 the country withdrew from the organisation due to concerns of serving foreign interests to the detriments of our people along with Niger and Mali Military The army consists of some 6 000 men in voluntary service augmented by a part time national People s Militia composed of civilians between 25 and 35 years of age who are trained in both military and civil duties According to Jane s Sentinel Country Risk Assessment Burkina Faso s Army is undermanned for its force structure and poorly equipped but has wheeled light armour vehicles and may have developed useful combat expertise through interventions in Liberia and elsewhere in Africa In terms of training and equipment the regular Army is believed to be neglected in relation to the elite Regiment of Presidential Security French Regiment de la Securite Presidentielle RSP Reports have emerged in recent years of disputes over pay and conditions There is an air force with some 19 operational aircraft but no navy as the country is landlocked Military expenses constitute approximately 1 2 of the nation s GDP Law enforcement Burkina Faso employs numerous police and security forces generally modeled after organizations used by French police France continues to provide significant support and training to police forces The Gendarmerie Nationale is organized along military lines with most police services delivered at the brigade level The Gendarmerie operates under the authority of the Minister of Defence and its members are employed chiefly in the rural areas and along borders There is a municipal police force controlled by the Ministry of Territorial Administration a national police force controlled by the Ministry of Security and an autonomous Regiment of Presidential Security Regiment de la Securite Presidentielle or RSP a palace guard devoted to the protection of the President of the Republic Both the gendarmerie and the national police are subdivided into both administrative and judicial police functions the former are detailed to protect public order and provide security the latter are charged with criminal investigations All foreigners and citizens are required to carry photo ID passports or other forms of identification or risk a fine and police spot identity checks are commonplace for persons traveling by auto bush taxi or bus EconomyA proportional representation of Burkina Faso exports 2019GDP per capita in Burkina Faso since 1950 The value of Burkina Faso s exports fell from 2 77 billion in 2011 to 754 million in 2012 Agriculture represents 32 of its gross domestic product and occupies 80 of the working population It consists mostly of rearing livestock Especially in the south and southwest the people grow crops of sorghum pearl millet maize corn peanuts rice and cotton with surpluses to be sold A large part of the economic activity of the country is funded by international aid despite having gold ores in abundance The top five export commodities in 2017 were in order of importance gems and precious metals US 1 9 billion 78 5 of total exports cotton 198 7 million 8 3 ores slag ash 137 6 million 5 8 fruits nuts 76 6 million 3 2 and oil seeds 59 5 million 2 5 A December 2018 report from the World Bank indicates that in 2017 economic growth increased to 6 4 in 2017 vs 5 9 in 2016 primarily due to gold production and increased investment in infrastructure The increase in consumption linked to growth of the wage bill also supported economic growth Inflation remained low 0 4 that year but the public deficit grew to 7 7 of GDP vs 3 5 in 2016 The government was continuing to get financial aid and loans to finance the debt To finance the public deficit the Government combined concessional aid and borrowing on the regional market The World Bank said that the economic outlook remained favorable in the short and medium term although that could be negatively impacted Risks included high oil prices imports lower prices of gold and cotton exports as well as terrorist threat and labour strikes Burkina Faso is part of the West African Monetary and Economic Union UMEOA and has adopted the CFA franc This is issued by the Central Bank of the West African States BCEAO situated in Dakar Senegal The BCEAO manages the monetary and reserve policy of the member states and provides regulation and oversight of financial sector and banking activity A legal framework regarding licensing bank activities organizational and capital requirements inspections and sanctions all applicable to all countries of the Union is in place having been reformed significantly in 1999 Microfinance institutions are governed by a separate law which regulates microfinance activities in all WAEMU countries The insurance sector is regulated through the Inter African Conference on Insurance Markets CIMA Processing facilities at the Essakane Mine in Burkina Faso In 2018 tourism was almost non existent in large parts of the country The U S government and others warn their citizens not to travel into large parts of Burkina Faso The northern Sahel border region shared with Mali and Niger due to crime and terrorism The provinces of Kmoandjari Tapoa Kompienga and Gourma in East Region due to crime and terrorism The 2018 CIA World Factbook provides this updated summary Burkina Faso is a poor landlocked country that depends on adequate rainfall Irregular patterns of rainfall poor soil and the lack of adequate communications and other infrastructure contribute to the economy s vulnerability to external shocks About 80 of the population is engaged in subsistence farming and cotton is the main cash crop The country has few natural resources and a weak industrial base Cotton and gold are Burkina Faso s key exports The country has seen an upswing in gold exploration production and exports While the end of the political crisis has allowed Burkina Faso s economy to resume positive growth the country s fragile security situation could put these gains at risk Political insecurity in neighboring Mali unreliable energy supplies and poor transportation links pose long term challenges The report also highlights the 2018 2020 International Monetary Fund program including the government s plan to reduce the budget deficit and preserve critical spending on social services and priority public investments A 2018 report by the African Development Bank Group discussed a macroeconomic evolution higher investment and continued spending on social services and security that will add to the budget deficit This group s prediction for 2018 indicated that the budget deficit would be reduced to 4 8 of GDP in 2018 and to 2 9 in 2019 Public debt associated with the National Economic and Social Development Plan was estimated at 36 9 of GDP in 2017 Burkina Faso is a member of the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa OHADA The country also belongs to the United Nations International Monetary Fund World Bank and World Trade Organization Mining There is mining of copper iron manganese gold cassiterite tin ore and phosphates These operations provide employment and generate international aid Gold production increased 32 in 2011 at six gold mine sites making Burkina Faso the fourth largest gold producer in Africa after South Africa Mali and Ghana Gold production of Burkina Faso s in 2015 is 36 metric tonnes A 2018 report indicated that the country expected record 55 tonnes of gold in that year a two thirds increase over 2013 According to Oumarou Idani there is a more important issue We have to diversify production We mostly only produce gold but we have huge potential in manganese zinc lead copper nickel and limestone Infrastructure Water The Grand marche in Koudougou Burkina Faso While services remain underdeveloped the National Office for Water and Sanitation ONEA a state owned utility company run along commercial lines is emerging as one of the best performing utility companies in Africa High levels of autonomy and a skilled and dedicated management have driven ONEA s ability to improve production of and access to clean water Since 2000 nearly 2 million more people have access to water in the four principal urban centres in the country the company has kept the quality of infrastructure high less than 18 of the water is lost through leaks one of the lowest in sub Saharan Africa improved financial reporting and increased its annual revenue by an average of 12 well above inflation Challenges remain including difficulties among some customers in paying for services with the need to rely on international aid to expand its infrastructure The state owned commercially run venture has helped the nation reach its Millennium Development Goal MDG targets in water related areas and has grown as a viable company However access to drinking water has improved over the last 28 years According to UNICEF access to drinking water has increased from 39 to 76 in rural areas between 1990 and 2015 In this same time span access to drinking water increased from 75 to 97 in urban areas Electricity A 33 megawatt solar power plant in Zagtouli near Ouagadougou came online in late November 2017 At the time of its construction it was the largest solar power facility in West Africa Other The growth rate in Burkina Faso is high although it continues to be plagued by corruption and incursions from terrorist groups from Mali and Niger Transport The railway station in Bobo Dioulasso was built during the colonial era and remains in operation Transport in Burkina Faso is limited by relatively underdeveloped infrastructure As of June 2014 the main international airport Ouagadougou Airport had regularly scheduled flights to many destinations in West Africa as well as Paris Brussels and Istanbul The other international airport Bobo Dioulasso Airport has flights to Ouagadougou and Abidjan Rail transport in Burkina Faso consists of a single line which runs from Kaya to Abidjan in Ivory Coast via Ouagadougou Koudougou Bobo Dioulasso and Banfora Sitarail operates a passenger train three times a week along the route There are 15 000 kilometres of roads in Burkina Faso of which 2 500 kilometres are paved Science and technology In 2009 Burkina Faso spent 0 20 of GDP on research and development R amp D one of the lowest ratios in West Africa There were 48 researchers in full time equivalents per million inhabitants in 2010 which is more than twice the average for sub Saharan Africa 20 per million population in 2013 and higher than the ratio for Ghana and Nigeria 39 It is however much lower than the ratio for Senegal 361 per million inhabitants In Burkina Faso in 2010 46 of researchers were working in the health sector 16 in engineering 13 in natural sciences 9 in agricultural sciences 7 in the humanities and 4 in social sciences In January 2011 the government created the Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation Up until then management of science technology and innovation had fallen under the Department of Secondary and Higher Education and Scientific Research Within this ministry the Directorate General for Research and Sector Statistics is responsible for planning A separate body the Directorate General of Scientific Research Technology and Innovation coordinates research This is a departure from the pattern in many other West African countries where a single body fulfills both functions The move signals the government s intention to make science and technology a development priority Burkina Faso was ranked 129th in the Global Innovation Index in 2024 In 2012 Burkina Faso adopted a National Policy for Scientific and Technical Research the strategic objectives of which are to develop R amp D and the application and commercialization of research results The policy also makes provisions for strengthening the ministry s strategic and operational capacities One of the key priorities is to improve food security and self sufficiency by boosting capacity in agricultural and environmental sciences The creation of a centre of excellence in 2014 at the International Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering in Ouagadougou within the World Bank project provides essential funding for capacity building in these priority areas A dual priority is to promote innovative effective and accessible health systems The government wishes to develop in parallel applied sciences and technology and social and human sciences To complement the national research policy the government has prepared a National Strategy to Popularize Technologies Inventions and Innovations 2012 and a National Innovation Strategy 2014 Other policies also incorporate science and technology such as that on Secondary and Higher Education and Scientific Research 2010 the National Policy on Food and Nutrition Security 2014 and the National Programme for the Rural Sector 2011 In 2013 Burkina Faso passed the Science Technology and Innovation Act establishing three mechanisms for financing research and innovation a clear indication of high level commitment These mechanisms are the National Fund for Education and Research the National Fund for Research and Innovation for Development and the Forum of Scientific Research and Technological Innovation DemographicsA Burkinabe Tuareg man in Ouagadougou PopulationYear Million1950 4 32000 11 62021 22 1 Burkina Faso is an ethnically integrated secular state where most people are concentrated in the south and centre where their density sometimes exceeds 48 inhabitants per square kilometre 120 sq mi Hundreds of thousands of Burkinabe migrate regularly to Ivory Coast and Ghana mainly for seasonal agricultural work These flows of workers are affected by external events the September 2002 coup attempt in Ivory Coast and the ensuing fighting meant that hundreds of thousands of Burkinabe returned to Burkina Faso The regional economy suffered when they were unable to work Mossi people in Dourtenga Department In 2015 most of the population belonged to one of two West African ethnic cultural groups the Voltaic and the Mande Voltaic Mossi make up about 50 of the population and are descended from warriors who moved to the area from Ghana around 1100 establishing an empire that lasted over 800 years The total fertility rate of Burkina Faso was estimated to be 5 93 children born per woman in 2014 the sixth highest in the world In 2009 the U S Department of State s Trafficking in Persons Report reported that slavery in Burkina Faso continued to exist and that Burkinabe children were often the victims Slavery in the Sahel states in general is an entrenched institution with a long history that dates back to the trans Saharan slave trade In 2018 an estimated 82 000 people in the country were living under modern slavery according to the Global Slavery Index Largest cities or towns in Burkina Faso According to the 2019 CensusRank Name Region Pop Ouagadougou Bobo Dioulasso 1 Ouagadougou Centre 2 415 266 Koudougou2 Bobo Dioulasso Hauts Bassins 904 9203 Koudougou Centre Ouest 160 2394 Saaba Centre 136 0115 Ouahigouya Nord 124 5876 Kaya Centre Nord 121 9707 Banfora Cascades 117 4528 Pouytenga Centre Est 96 4699 Hounde Hauts Bassins 87 15110 Fada N gourma Est 73 200 Ethnic groups Burkina Faso s 23 million people belong to two major West African ethnic cultural groups the Voltaic and the Mande whose common language is Dioula The Voltaic Mossi make up about one half of the population The Mossi claim descent from warriors who migrated to present day Burkina Faso from northern Ghana around 1100 AD They established an empire that lasted more than 800 years Predominantly farmers the Mossi kingdom is led by the Mogho Naba whose court is in Ouagadougou Languages Native Languages in Burkina FasoLanguages percentMoore 40 5 Fula 9 3 Gourmanche 6 1 Bambara 4 9 Bissa 3 2 Bwamu 2 1 Dagara 2 San 1 9 Lobiri 1 8 Lyele 1 7 Bobo 1 4 Senoufo 1 4 Nuni 1 2 Dafing 1 1 Tamasheq 1 Kassem 0 7 Gouin 0 4 Dogon 0 3 Songhai 0 3 Gourounsi 0 3 Ko 0 1 Koussasse 0 1 Sembla 0 1 Siamou 0 1 Other National 5 Other African 0 2 French 1 3 Other non indigenous 0 1 Burkina Faso is a multilingual country The working languages are French which was introduced during the colonial period and English In December 2023 due to deteriorating relations between Burkina Faso and the French government the Burkina Faso government announced it was elevating Moore Bissa Dyula and Fula to the status of official languages In January 2024 French was dropped as an official language becoming a working language with English instead Altogether an estimated 69 languages are spoken in the country of which about 60 languages are indigenous The Moore language is the most spoken language in Burkina Faso spoken by about half the population mainly in the central region around the capital Ouagadougou According to the 2006 census the languages spoken natively in Burkina Faso were Moore by 40 5 of the population Fula by 9 3 Gourmanche by 6 1 Bambara by 4 9 Bissa by 3 2 Bwamu by 2 1 Dagara by 2 San by 1 9 Lobiri with 1 8 Lyele with 1 7 Bobo and Senoufo with 1 4 each Nuni by 1 2 Dafing by 1 1 Tamasheq by 1 Kassem by 0 7 Gouin by 0 4 Dogon Songhai and Gourounsi by 0 3 each Ko Koussasse Sembla and Siamou by 0 1 each other national languages by 5 other African languages by 0 2 French the official language by 1 3 and other non indigenous languages by 0 1 In the west Mande languages are widely spoken the most predominant being Dyula also known as Jula or Dioula others including Bobo Samo and Marka Fula is widespread particularly in the north Gourmanche is spoken in the east while Bissa is spoken in the south Religion Grand Mosque of Bobo Dioulasso The government of Burkina Faso s 2019 census reported that 63 8 of the population practiced Islam and that the majority of this group belong to the Sunni branch while a small minority adheres to Shia Islam A significant number of Sunni Muslims identify with the Tijaniyah Sufi order The 2019 census also found that 26 3 of the population were Christians 20 1 being Roman Catholics and 6 2 members of Protestant denominations and 9 0 followed traditional indigenous beliefs such as the Dogon religion 0 2 followed other religions and 0 7 were non religious Animists are the largest religious group in the country s Sud Ouest region forming 48 1 of its total population Health In 2016 the average life expectancy was estimated at 60 for males and 61 for females In 2018 the under five mortality rate and the infant mortality rate was 76 per 1000 live births In 2014 the median age of its inhabitants was 17 and the estimated population growth rate was 3 05 In 2011 health expenditures was 6 5 of GDP the maternal mortality ratio was estimated at 300 deaths per 100000 live births and the physician density at 0 05 per 1000 population in 2010 In 2012 it was estimated that the adult HIV prevalence rate ages 15 49 was 1 0 According to the 2011 UNAIDS Report HIV prevalence is declining among pregnant women who attend antenatal clinics According to a 2005 World Health Organization report an estimated 72 5 of Burkina Faso s girls and women have had female genital mutilation administered according to traditional rituals Central government spending on health was 3 in 2001 As of 2009 update studies estimated there were as few as 10 physicians per 100 000 people In addition there were 41 nurses and 13 midwives per 100 000 people Demographic and Health Surveys has completed three surveys in Burkina Faso since 1993 and had another in 2009 A Dengue fever outbreak in 2016 killed 20 patients Cases of the disease were reported from all 12 districts of Ouagadougou In the 2024 Global Hunger Index GHI Burkina Faso ranks 98th out of 127 countries and has a serious level of hunger with a score of 24 6 Education The Gando primary school Its architect Diebedo Francis Kere received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2004 Education in Burkina Faso is divided into primary secondary and higher education High school costs approximately CFA 25 000 US 50 per year which is far above the means of most Burkinabe families Boys receive preference in schooling as such girls education and literacy rates are far lower than their male counterparts An increase in girls schooling has been observed because of the government s policy of making school cheaper for girls and granting them more scholarships To proceed from primary to middle school middle to high school or high school to college national exams must be passed Institutions of higher education include the University of Ouagadougou The Polytechnic University of Bobo Dioulasso and the University of Koudougou which is also a teacher training institution There are some small private colleges in the capital city of Ouagadougou but these are affordable to only a small portion of the population There is also the International School of Ouagadougou ISO an American based private school located in Ouagadougou The 2008 UN Development Program Report ranked Burkina Faso as the country with the lowest level of literacy in the world despite a concerted effort to double its literacy rate from 12 8 in 1990 to 25 3 in 2008 Food insecurityAccording to the Global Hunger Index a multidimensional tool used to measure and track a country s hunger levels Burkina Faso ranked 65 out of 78 countries in 2013 It is estimated that there are currently over 1 5 million children who are at risk of food insecurity in Burkina Faso with around 350 000 children who are in need of emergency medical assistance However only about a third of these children will actually receive adequate medical attention Only 11 4 percent of children under the age of two receive the daily recommended number of meals Stunted growth as a result of food insecurity is a severe problem in Burkina Faso affecting at least a third of the population from 2008 to 2012 Additionally stunted children on average tend to complete less school than children with normal growth development further contributing to the low levels of education of the Burkina Faso population The European Commission expects that approximately 500 000 children under age 5 in Burkina Faso will suffer from acute malnutrition in 2015 including around 149 000 who will suffer from its most life threatening form Rates of micronutrient deficiencies are also high According to the Demographic and Health Survey DHS 2010 49 percent of women and 88 percent of children under the age of five suffer from anemia Forty percent of infant deaths can be attributed to malnutrition and in turn these infant mortality rates have decreased Burkina Faso s total work force by 13 6 percent demonstrating how food security affects more aspects of life beyond health These high rates of food insecurity and the accompanying effects are even more prevalent in rural populations compared to urban ones as access to health services in rural areas is much more limited and awareness and education of children s nutritional needs is lower An October 2018 report by USAid stated that droughts and floods remained problematic and that violence and insecurity are disrupting markets trade and livelihoods activities in some parts of Burkina Faso s northern and eastern areas The report estimated that over 954 300 people needed food security support and that according to UNICEF an estimated 187 200 children under 5 years of age will experience severe acute malnutrition Agencies providing assistance at the time included USAID s Office of Food for Peace FFP working with the UN World Food Programme the NGO Oxfam Intermon and ACDI VOCA Approaches to improving food security World Food Programme The United Nations World Food Programme has worked on programs that are geared towards increasing food security in Burkina Faso The Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation 200509 PRRO was formed to respond to the high levels of malnutrition in Burkina Faso following the food and nutrition crisis in 2012 The efforts of this project are mostly geared towards the treatment and prevention of malnutrition and include take home rations for the caretakers of those children who are being treated for malnutrition Additionally the activities of this operation contribute to families abilities to withstand future food crises Better nutrition among the two most vulnerable groups young children and pregnant women prepares them to be able to respond better in times when food security is compromised such as in droughts The Country Programme CP has two parts food and nutritional assistance to people with HIV AIDS and a school feeding program for all primary schools in the Sahel region The HIV AIDS nutrition program aims to better the nutritional recovery of those who are living with HIV AIDS and to protect at risk children and orphans from malnutrition and food security As part of the school feeding component the Country Programme s goals are to increase enrollment and attendance in schools in the Sahel region where enrollment rates are below the national average Furthermore the program aims at improving gender parity rates in these schools by providing girls with high attendance in the last two years of primary school with take home rations of cereals as an incentive to households encouraging them to send their girls to school The WFP concluded the formation of a subsequently approved plan in August 2018 to support the Government s vision of a democratic unified and united nation transforming the structure of its economy and achieving a strong and inclusive growth through patterns of sustainable consumption and production It will take important steps in WFP s new strategic direction for strengthened national and local capacities to enable the Government and communities to own manage and implement food and nutrition security programmes by 2030 World Bank The World Bank was established in 1944 and comprises five institutions whose shared goals are to end extreme poverty by 2030 and to promote shared prosperity by fostering income growth of the lower forty percent of every country One of the main projects the World Bank is working on to reduce food insecurity in Burkina Faso is the Agricultural Productivity and Food Security Project According to the World Bank the objective of this project is to improve the capacity of poor producers to increase food production and to ensure improved availability of food products in rural markets The Agricultural Productivity and Food Security Project has three main parts Its first component is to work towards the improvement of food production including financing grants and providing voucher for work programs for households who cannot pay their contribution in cash The project s next component involves improving the availability of food products particularly in rural areas This includes supporting the marketing of food products and aims to strengthen the capabilities of stakeholders to control the variability of food products and supplies at local and national levels Lastly the third component of this project focuses on institutional development and capacity building Its goal is to reinforce the capacities of service providers and institutions who are specifically involved in project implementation The project s activities aim to build capacities of service providers strengthen the capacity of food producer organizations strengthen agricultural input supply delivery methods and manage and evaluate project activities The December 2018 report by the World Bank indicated that the poverty rate fell slightly between 2009 and 2014 from 46 to a still high 40 1 The report provided this updated summary of the country s development challenges Burkina Faso remains vulnerable to climatic shocks related to changes in rainfall patterns and to fluctuations in the prices of its export commodities on world markets Its economic and social development will to some extent be contingent on political stability in the country and the sub regions its openness to international trade and export diversification CultureA masked Winiama dancer c 1970 Literature in Burkina Faso is based on the oral tradition which remains important In 1934 during French occupation Dim Dolobsom Ouedraogo published his Maximes pensees et devinettes mossi Maxims Thoughts and Riddles of the Mossi a record of the oral history of the Mossi people The oral tradition continued to have an influence on Burkinabe writers in the post independence Burkina Faso of the 1960s such as Nazi Boni and Roger Nikiema The 1960s saw a growth in the number of playwrights being published Since the 1970s literature has developed in Burkina Faso with many more writers being published The theatre of Burkina Faso combines traditional Burkinabe performance with the colonial influences and post colonial efforts to educate rural people to produce a distinctive national theatre Traditional ritual ceremonies of the many ethnic groups in Burkina Faso have long involved dancing with masks Western style theatre became common during colonial times heavily influenced by French theatre With independence came a new style of theatre inspired by forum theatre aimed at educating and entertaining Burkina Faso s rural people citation needed Malika Outtara poet Slam poetry is increasing in popularity in the country in part due to the efforts of slam poet Malika Outtara She uses her skills to raise awareness around issues such as blood donation albinism and the impact of COVID 19 Arts and crafts Artisan garland of decorative painted gourds in Ouagadougou In addition to several rich traditional artistic heritages among the peoples there is a large artist community in Burkina Faso especially in Ouagadougou Much of the crafts produced are for the country s growing tourist industry Burkina Faso also hosts the International Art and Craft Fair Ouagadougou It is better known by its French name as SIAO Le Salon International de l Artisanat de Ouagadougou and is one of the most important African handicraft fairs Music The music of Burkina Faso includes the folk music of 60 different ethnic groups The Mossi people centrally located around the capital Ouagadougou account for 40 of the population while to the south Gurunsi Gurma Dagaaba and Lobi populations speaking Gur languages closely related to the Mossi language extend into the coastal states In the north and east the Fulani of the Sahel preponderate while in the south and west the Mande languages are common Samo Bissa Bobo Senufo and Marka Burkinabe traditional music has continued to thrive and musical output remains quite diverse Popular music is mostly in French Burkina Faso has yet to produce a major pan African success Media A cameraman in Ouagadougou Burkina Faso in 2010 The nation s principal media outlet is its state sponsored combined television and radio service Radio Television du Burkina RTB RTB broadcasts on two medium wave AM and several FM frequencies Besides RTB there are privately owned sports cultural music and religious FM radio stations RTB maintains a worldwide short wave news broadcast Radio Nationale Burkina in the French language from the capital at Ouagadougou using a 100 kW transmitter on 4 815 and 5 030 MHz Attempts to develop an independent press and media in Burkina Faso have been intermittent In 1998 investigative journalist Norbert Zongo his brother Ernest his driver and another man were assassinated by unknown assailants and the bodies burned The crime was never solved However an independent Commission of Inquiry later concluded that Norbert Zongo was killed for political reasons because of his investigative work into the death of David Ouedraogo a chauffeur who worked for Francois Compaore President Blaise Compaore s brother In January 1999 Francois Compaore was charged with the murder of David Ouedraogo who had died as a result of torture in January 1998 The charges were later dropped by a military tribunal after an appeal In August 2000 five members of the President s personal security guard detail Regiment de la Securite Presidentielle or RSP were charged with the murder of Ouedraogo RSP members Marcel Kafando Edmond Koama and Ousseini Yaro investigated as suspects in the Norbert Zongo assassination were convicted in the Ouedraogo case and sentenced to lengthy prison terms Since the death of Norbert Zongo several protests regarding the Zongo investigation and treatment of journalists have been prevented or dispersed by government police and security forces In April 2007 popular radio reggae host Karim Sama whose programs feature reggae songs interspersed with critical commentary on alleged government injustice and corruption received several death threats Sama s personal car was later burned outside the private radio station Ouaga FM by unknown vandals In response the Committee to Protect Journalists CPJ wrote to President Compaore to request his government investigate the sending of e mailed death threats to journalists and radio commentators in Burkina Faso who were critical of the government In December 2008 police in Ouagadougou questioned leaders of a protest march that called for a renewed investigation into the unsolved Zongo assassination Among the marchers was Jean Claude Meda the president of the Association of Journalists of Burkina Faso Cinema The cinema of Burkina Faso is an important part of the West African film industry and African film as a whole Burkina s contribution to African cinema started with the establishment of the film festival FESPACO Festival Panafricain du Cinema et de la Television de Ouagadougou which was launched as a film week in 1969 Many of the nation s filmmakers are known internationally and have won international prizes For many years the headquarters of the Federation of Panafrican Filmmakers FEPACI was in Ouagadougou rescued in 1983 from a period of moribund inactivity by the enthusiastic support and funding of President Sankara In 2006 the Secretariat of FEPACI moved to South Africa but the headquarters of the organization is still in Ouagadougou Among the best known directors from Burkina Faso are Gaston Kabore Idrissa Ouedraogo and Dani Kouyate Burkina produces popular television series such as Les Bobodiouf Internationally known filmmakers such as Ouedraogo Kabore Yameogo and Kouyate make popular television series Cuisine A plate of fufu right accompanied with peanut soup Typical of West African cuisine Burkina Faso s cuisine is based on staple foods of sorghum millet rice maize peanuts potatoes beans yams and okra The most common sources of animal protein are chicken chicken eggs and freshwater fish A typical Burkinabe beverage is Banji or Palm Wine which is fermented palm sap and Zoom kom or grain water purportedly the national drink of Burkina Faso Zoom kom is milky looking and whitish having a water and cereal base best drunk with ice cubes In the more rural regions in the outskirts of Burkina you would find Dolo which is drink made from fermented millet In times of crisis one legume native to Burkina Zamne can be served as a main dish or in a sauce Cultural festivals and events Every two years Ouagadougou hosts the Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou FESPACO the largest African cinema festival on the continent February odd years Held every two years since 1988 the International Art and Craft Fair Ouagadougou SIAO is one of Africa s most important trade shows for art and handicrafts late October early November even years Also every two years the Symposium de sculpture sur granit de Laongo takes place on a site located about 35 kilometres 22 miles from Ouagadougou in the province of Oubritenga The National Culture Week of Burkina Faso better known by its French name La Semaine Nationale de la culture SNC is one of the most important cultural activities of Burkina Faso It is a biennial event which takes place every two years in Bobo Dioulasso the second largest city in the country The Festival International des Masques et des Arts FESTIMA celebrating traditional masks is held every two years in Dedougou Sports Burkina Faso national football team in white during a match Sport in Burkina Faso is widespread and includes football basketball cycling rugby union handball tennis boxing and martial arts Football is the most popular sport in Burkina Faso played both professionally and informally in towns and villages across the country The national team is nicknamed Les Etalons the Stallions in reference to the legendary horse of Princess Yennenga In 1998 Burkina Faso hosted the Africa Cup of Nations for which the Omnisport Stadium in Bobo Dioulasso was built Burkina Faso qualified for the 2013 African Cup of Nations in South Africa and reached the final but then lost to Nigeria 0 1 The country has never qualified for a FIFA World Cup Basketball is another sport which enjoys much popularity for both men and women The country s men s national team had its most successful year in 2013 when it qualified for the AfroBasket the continent s prime basketball event At the 2020 Summer Olympics the athlete Hugues Fabrice Zango won Burkina Faso s first Olympic medal winning bronze in the men s triple jump Cricket is also picking up in Burkina Faso with Cricket Burkina Faso running a 10 club league See alsoAfrica portalIndex of Burkina Faso related articles Outline of Burkina Faso 2023 in Burkina FasoNotesUK b er ˌ k iː n e ˈ f ae s oʊ ber KEE ne FASS oh US ˈ f ɑː s oʊ FAH soh Mossi Burkĩna Faso buɾkĩna fa so Fula 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮 Dyula ߓߎߙߞߌߣߊ ߝߊߛߏ b ɜːr ˈ k iː n e b eɪ bur KEE ne bayReferences Burkina Faso The World Factbook 2025 ed Central Intelligence Agency Retrieved 22 December 2019 Archived 2019 edition Aib Az 1 July 2022 Burkina 48 1 de la population du Sud ouest pratique l Animisme officiel AIB Agence d Information du Burkina in French Archived from the original on 26 March 2023 Retrieved 15 October 2022 Ndiaga Thiam Mimault Anne 30 September 2022 Burkina Faso soldiers announce overthrow of military government Ouagadougou Retrieved 1 October 2022 Traore appeared on television surrounded by soldiers and announced the government was dissolved the constitution suspended and the borders closed Appolinaire Jean Kyelem de Tembela j ai toujours voulu faire un livre sur la revolution thomassankara net in French 4 April 2014 Retrieved 25 December 2023 Sylvestre Treiner Anna Wendpouire Nana Michel 25 October 2022 Burkina Faso Apollinaire Kyelem de Tambela Captain Traore s surprise prime minister The Africa Report Retrieved 25 December 2023 Burkina Faso The World Factbook 2025 ed Central Intelligence Agency Retrieved 25 December 2023 Archived 2023 edition World Economic Outlook Database October 2023 Edition BF IMF org International Monetary Fund 10 October 2023 Retrieved 16 October 2023 World Bank Open Data Human Development Report 2023 2024 PDF United Nations Development Programme 13 March 2024 Archived PDF from the original on 13 March 2024 Retrieved 13 March 2024 CFA Franc BCEAO Codes XOF 952 ISO 4217 currency names and code elements Archived 7 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine ISO burkina faso noun Definition pictures pronunciation and usage notes Oxford Advanced Learner s Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries com www oxfordlearnersdictionaries com Retrieved 20 November 2017 ff Adlm xml Unicode Inc Notes on cataloging in the N ko script Yale University Library Burkina Faso Population 2024 Demographics Maps Graphs worldpopulationreview com Burkina Faso restores constitution names coup leader president www aljazeera com Retrieved 31 January 2022 Brion Corinne November 2014 Global voices Burkina Faso Two languages are better than one Phi Delta Kappan Retrieved 12 October 2020 Burkina Faso People and Society The World Factbook 2025 ed Central Intelligence Agency Retrieved 11 March 2020 Archived 2020 edition Toe Olivier 26 January 2024 Burkina Faso Captain Ibrahim Traore formalises constitutional amendment in line with national realities AfrikTimes Retrieved 11 February 2024 Decret Promulguant La Loi Constitutionnelle N 045 2023 ALT Decree Promulgating Constitutional Law No 045 2023 ALT PDF in French 22 January 2024 Roy Christopher D Countries of Africa Burkina Faso Art and Life in Africa Countries Resources Archived from the original on 15 January 2014 Retrieved 14 April 2014 Why the name Burkina Faso afrolegends com 12 September 2013 Burkina Faso The World Factbook 2025 ed Central Intelligence Agency 21 December 2018 Retrieved 16 January 2019 Archived 2018 edition iAfrica Ancient History UNTOLD Forbidden Fruit Books LLC p 21 Burkina Faso Smoke Tree Manor 23 October 2019 Retrieved 30 May 2020 UNESCO World Heritage Centre Site archeologique de Bura UNESCO Miller D E Van Der Merwe N J 2009 Early Metal Working in Sub Saharan Africa A Review of Recent Research The Journal of African History 35 1 1 36 doi 10 1017 S0021853700025949 JSTOR 182719 S2CID 162330270 Stuiver Minze van der Merwe Nicolaas J 1968 Radiocarbon Chronology of the Iron Age in Sub Saharan Africa Current Anthropology 9 1 54 58 doi 10 1086 200878 JSTOR 2740446 S2CID 145379030 Ancient Ferrous Metallurgy Sites of Burkina Faso UNESCO World Heritage List UNESCO Retrieved 21 March 2021 Rupley p 27 Rupley p 28 Shoup John A 2011 Ethnic Groups of Africa and the Middle East An Encyclopedia ABC CLIO ISBN 978 1 59884 362 0 Encyclopedia of the Nations History Advameg Inc n d Web 8 October 2014 Rupley p xxvioi Rupley p xxvix Rupley pp 30 33 Figures de la revolution africaine de Kenyatta a Sankara La Decouverte 2014 pp 271 288 Mahir Saul and Patrick Royer West African Challenge to Empire 2001 More Language of the Moose people Phrase Book World Digital Library Retrieved 16 February 2013 Anyangwe Carlson 2012 Revolutionary Overthrow of Constitutional Orders in Africa African Books Collective ISBN 978 9956 727 78 0 Burkina Faso s history also called Upper Volta endured between 1960 and 1987 6 military coups and the establishment of 3 republics Blaise Compaore Retrieved 5 November 2020 by California Newsreel More Language of the Mossi Tribe Phrase Book Burkina Faso is a former French colony which became the independent state of Upper Volta in 1960 In 1984 the country adopted its present name meaning Land of Incorruptible People Kingfisher Geography Encyclopedia ISBN 1 85613 582 9 Page 170 Manning Patrick 1998 Francophone Sub Saharan Africa 1880 1995 Cambridge Cambridge University Press p 126 ISBN 978 0 521 64519 5 The name of the country was changed to Burkina Faso and Sankara launched it on an aggressive populist program of self help The name is an amalgam of More burkina honest upright or incorruptible men and Jula faso homeland literally father s house The be suffix in the name for the people Burkinabe comes from the Fula plural suffix for people ɓe Farid Omar 28 November 2007 Commemorating Thomas Sankara Group for Research and Initiative for the Liberation of Africa GRILA Archived from the original on 24 January 2012 X Mr 28 October 2015 Resurrecting Thomas Sankara My Blog My Blog Retrieved 25 April 2017 Lepidi Pierre 3 January 2020 Thomas Sankara l ecologiste Le Monde in French Paris Aidi Hisham Reviving Thomas Sankara s spirit Al Jazeera Retrieved 25 April 2017 MacDougall C 2021 Who Killed Thomas Sankara retrieved 13 March 2024 Burkina Faso wants France to release Sankara archives BBC News 2016 retrieved 13 March 2024 Thomas Sankara murder Ex Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore found guilty 2022 retrieved 13 March 2024 Jaffre Bruno 9 September 2009 Assassination of Thomas Sankara evidence of a documentary by RAI 3 involve France CIA and Blaise Compaore thomassankara net Kasuka Bridgette ed 2011 African Leaders Bankole Kamara Taylor p 13 ISBN 978 1 4681 1436 2 unreliable source Mathieu Bonkoungou 17 October 2007 Burkina Faso Salutes Africa s Che Thomas Sankara Reuters Burkina Faso Profile BBC NEWS AFRICA 21 March 2014 24 September 2014 Burkina opposition calls anti president demo The Daily Star 23 April 2011 Retrieved 24 April 2011 Taoko Herve Nossiter Adam 27 April 2011 Mayor s Home Burned as Burkina Faso Protests Continue The New York Times Archived from the original on 30 April 2011 Retrieved 30 April 2011 Gongo Simon 28 April 2011 Burkina Faso Riot Police Join Wave of Protests After Government Dissolved Bloomberg L P Retrieved 30 April 2011 Burkina Faso teachers strike Union agrees deal BBC News 25 May 2011 Archived from the original on 27 May 2011 Retrieved 28 May 2011 Burkina Faso government replaces its 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Sheet Burkina Faso U S Agency for International Development 19 October 2018 Archived from the original on 7 January 2019 Retrieved 6 January 2019 Burkina Faso WFP United Nations World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide wfp org Archived from the original on 10 September 2015 Retrieved 19 October 2015 Burkina Faso Brief PDF World Food Programme Burkina Faso Transitional ICSP January December 2018 World Food Programme www1 wfp org What We Do World Bank Retrieved 2 November 2015 Projects Agricultural Productivity and Food Security Project The World Bank World Bank Retrieved 2 November 2015 Overview www worldbank org Salhi Kamal 1999 Francophone Voices Intellect Books p 37 ISBN 978 1 902454 03 0 Retrieved 26 April 2014 Allan Tuzyline Jita 1997 Women s Studies Quarterly Teaching African Literatures in a Global Literary Feminist Press p 86 ISBN 978 1 55861 169 6 Retrieved 26 April 2014 Marchais Julien 2006 Burkina Faso in French Petit Fute pp 91 92 ISBN 978 2 7469 1601 2 Retrieved 26 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Wayback Machine 3 May 2007 Keita Mohamed Burkina Faso Police Question Zongo Protesters Committee to Protect Journalists 15 December 2008 Spaas Lieve 2000 Burkina Faso in The Francophone Film A Struggle for Identity pp 232 246 Manchester Manchester University Press ISBN 0 7190 5861 9 Turegano Teresa Hoefert 2005 African Cinema and Europe Close Up on Burkina Faso Florence European Press Academic ISBN 88 8398 031 X Oxfam s Cool Planet Food in Burkina Faso Oxfam Archived from the original on 17 May 2012 Retrieved 21 May 2008 article in French on Burkinabe Zoom kom Drabo Moustapha Soungalo Shumoy Habtu Cisse Hama Parkouda Charles Nikiema Fulbert Odetokun Ismail Traore Yves Savadogo Aly Raes Katleen December 2020 Mapping the variability in physical cooking and nutritional properties of Zamne a wild food in Burkina Faso Food Research International 138 B published 2020 109810 doi 10 1016 j foodres 2020 109810 PMC 7575534 PMID 33288185 The FIFA Coca Cola World Ranking FIFA Archived from the original on 7 October 2011 Retrieved 4 February 2017 Keim Marion 2014 1st pub 2014 Country Profile of Sport and Development Sport and Popularity Sport and Development Policy in Africa Results of collaborative study of selected country cases SUN PRESS p 206 ISBN 978 1 920689 20 9 Culpepper Chuck 5 August 2021 The thing about poignant triple jump moments They sneak up on you The Washington Post Retrieved 10 August 2021 Cricket in Francophone Africa Report from Burkina Faso and Cote d Ivoire Emerging Cricket 13 December 2021 Retrieved 25 January 2022 BibliographyRupley Lawrence Bangali Lamissa amp Diamitani Boureima 2013 Historical Dictionary of Burkina Faso The Scarecrow Press ISBN 978 0 8108 6770 3 Further readingEngberg Perderson Lars Endangering Development Politics Projects and Environment in Burkina Faso Praeger Publishers 2003 Englebert Pierre Burkina Faso Unsteady Statehood in West Africa Perseus 1999 Howorth Chris Rebuilding the Local Landscape Environmental Management in Burkina Faso Ashgate 1999 McFarland Daniel Miles and Rupley Lawrence A Historical Dictionary of Burkina Faso Scarecrow Press 1998 Manson Katrina and Knight James Burkina Faso Bradt Travel Guides 2011 Roy Christopher D and Wheelock Thomas G B Land of the Flying Masks Art and Culture in Burkina Faso The Thomas G B Wheelock Collection Prestel Publishing 2007 Sankara Thomas Thomas Sankara Speaks The Burkina Faso Revolution 1983 1987 Pathfinder Press 2007 Sankara Thomas We are the Heirs of the World s Revolutions Speeches from the Burkina Faso Revolution 1983 1987 Pathfinder Press 2007 External linksBurkina Faso at Wikipedia s sister projects Definitions from WiktionaryMedia from CommonsNews from WikinewsQuotations from Wikiquote
