Protests sweep the West African nation
Burkina Faso – meaning the “Land of the Upright Men” – has only had two different leaders since 1984. Thomas Sankara, a Marxist advocate of the people, was the first of these men, and is often referred to as the “Che Guevara of West Africa.” Current President Blaise Compaore is the second. Compaore has been President of Burkina Faso for the past 27 years, and at the beginning of his rule, he was assisted by former President, and friend, Sankara, before the authoritarian “Godfather” of West Africa had Sankara killed.
Since the death of Thomas Sankara, the people of Burkina Faso have been kept in a constant state of underdevelopment. With poor infrastructure, lack of employment and economic opportunities, and high food prices, citizens have been growing restless as time continues to pass. Thankfully, for the unhappy citizens of the West African nation, the end, until recently, seemed near. After 27 years, the rule of Compaore was to come to an end in November of 2015.
Having waited patiently for the end of his rule, citizens of Burkina Faso were outraged when Compaore and Members of Parliament began discussions to extend Compaore’s rule. People took to the streets in Souleymae Ouedraogo in protest of the continuation of Compaore’s time in office.
The protests of citizens resulted in the burning of at least two homes of Members of Parliament, as well as the burning of the Parliament building in the city. At least five are dead, and several others injured, as smoke, fire, and gunshots have been everywhere during the civil unrest.
Spurred on by the Leader of the Opposition, Augustine Blaise Hien, these protests are the people of Burkina Faso’s attempts to force Compaore out of office. Ultimately, the goal of the protestors is to attempt to install a true democratic government in his wake.
Compaore declared a state of emergency in Burkina Faso, and asked for assistance in controlling the protesters and the violence that swept the nation. In the face of this request, the military, which supports Blaise Hien’s ideology, took the country over, and Compaore fled to Ivory Coast.
This did not lead to the end of the problems in Burkina Faso. The military force and action taken was not necessarily positive, as people continued to protest on the basis that the regime change to a true democracy had still not been accomplished. The United Nations was also not pleased, and they threatened sanctions against the military powers of Burkina Faso, if they did not rectify the situation.
Burkina Faso’s constitution states that, if the President is no longer in power, the President of the Senate is to temporarily take power until an election can be held. After more protests and deliberation, the military has finally relinquished its hold on Burkina Faso, and will be installing a transitional government until further decisions can be made, and proper elections can be held.
There is no current set date for elections, nor candidates selected or nominated as of yet.