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October 3, 2022

Burkina Faso
A Country in Freefall

The latest military coup d’état would seem to be the least of Burkina Faso’s problems.

Two men stand on a vehicle holding a flag together their whilst others below hold flags for Russia and Burkina Faso.

April 6, 2022

Burkina Faso
Blaise Compaore’s Conviction Is a Momentous Victory for the Rule of Law and Citizen Power in Africa

Former Burkinabe President Blaise Compaore’s sentence of life imprisonment by an Ouagadougou military court for complicity in the murder of his predecessor, Thomas Sankara, marks an important victory for the rule of law in the country and the region as a whole. In exile in the Ivory Coast since his ouster from power following a popular uprising in 2014, Compaore was tried in absentia. Erstwhile Presidential Security Chief Hyacinthe Kafando, currently at large and also tried in absentia, similarly received a life sentence.

Burkina Faso's former president looks to the side wearing a suit and tie.

March 9, 2022

Burkina Faso
What the Sankara Assassination Trial Means for West Africa

The trial against Burkina Faso’s exiled former leader for a decades-old assassination case could signal progress on accountability at a time of coups and upheaval regionwide.

People attend the opening of the trial against alleged perpetrators of the assassination of former President Thomas Sankara in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

February 8, 2022

West Africa
Recent Flurry of Coups Caps Longstanding Push for Inclusion and Belonging in Africa

The recent spate of coups in West Africa has unsurprisingly drawn the attention of African leaders. The resurgence of coups was high on the agenda of AU leaders who met last weekend in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. Their condemnation of what a spokesperson described as a “wave of unconstitutional changes of government” was loud and unequivocal.

Mali's new interim president walks during his inauguration wearing formal military attire and a sash with the Malian flag's colors.

January 25, 2022

Burkina Faso
Coup in Burkina Faso Bodes Ill for Stability in West Africa

After President Roch Kabore of Burkina Faso was overthrown in a military coup, both the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) condemned what they have insisted is an “attempted coup” and reminded the Burkinabe military of its constitutional role of defending and upholding the constitution.

A group of military personnel wearing camouflage give an announcement on broadcast television.