{{Short description|Country in West Africa}}
{{Pp-move|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Burkina Faso
| native_name = {{name in various languages
| name = {{nobold|''(in official languages)''}}
| mos = {{lang|mos|Burkĩna Faso}}
| ff = {{lang|ff|đ€đ€”đ€Șđ€łđ€đ€Čđ€ą đ€đ€ąđ€§đ€źđ„
}}
| dyu = {{lang|dyu|ßßßßßߣßß« ßßߏßßß«}}
| bib = {{lang|bib|Burkina Fasoo}}
}}
| common_name = Burkina Faso
| image_flag = Flag of Burkina Faso.svg
| image_coat = Coat of arms of Burkina Faso.svg
| national_motto = {{indented plainlist|
* {{lang|fr|"[[Patria o Muerte, Venceremos|La Patrie ou la Mort, Nous Vaincrons]]"}}
* "Homeland or Death, we will overcome"
}}
| national_anthem = [[DitanyĂš]]{{parabr}}{{center|}} [[File:Burkina faso anthem.ogg]]
| image_map = {{Switcher
| [[File:Burkina Faso (orthographic projection).svg|frameless]]
| Show globe
| [[File:Location Burkina Faso AU Africa.svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]
| Show map of Africa
}}
| map_caption =
| image_map2 =
| capital = [[Ouagadougou]]
| coordinates = {{Coord|12|22|N|1|32|W|type:city_region:BF}}
| largest_city = capital
| official_languages = {{hlist|[[Mooré]]|[[Dyula language|Dyula]]|[[Fula language|Fula]]|[[Bissa language|Bissa]]}}
| languages_type = [[Working language]]s
| languages = {{hlist|[[English language|English]]|[[French language|French]]}}
| ethnic_groups = {{vunblist
|52% [[Mossi people|Mossi]]
|8.4% [[Fula people|Fula]]
|7% [[Gurma people|Gurma]]
|4.9% [[Bobo people|Bobo]]
|4.6% [[Gurunsi people|Gurunsi]]
|4.5% [[Senufo people|Senufo]]
|3.7% [[Bissa people|Bissa]]
|2.4% [[Lobi people|Lobi]]
|2.3% [[Dagara people|Dagara]]
|1.9% [[Tuareg people|Tuareg]]
|0.8% [[Dyula people|Dyula]]
|7.5% other
}}
| ethnic_groups_year = 2010 est.
| ethnic_groups_ref = [{{cite web |last1=Aib |first1=Az |title=Burkina: 48,1% de la population du Sud-ouest pratique l'Animisme (officiel) |url=https://www.aib.media/burkina-481-de-la-population-du-sud-ouest-pratique-lanimisme-officiel/ |website=Agence d'information du Burkina |date=July 2022 |access-date=10 March 2025}}]
| demonym = Burkinabé
| government_type = Unitary [[semi-presidential republic]] under a [[military junta]][{{cite news |last1=Ndiaga |first1=Thiam |last2=Mimault |first2=Anne |title=Burkina Faso soldiers announce overthrow of military government |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/heavy-gunfire-heard-burkina-faso-capital-reuters-witnesses-2022-09-30/ |access-date=1 October 2022 |date=30 September 2022 |location=[[Ouagadougou]] |quote=Traore appeared on television surrounded by soldiers and announced the government was dissolved, the constitution suspended and the borders closed.}}][{{cite web |url=https://www.thomassankara.net/appolinaire-jean-kyelem-de-tembela-jai-toujours-voulu-faire-un-livre-sur-la-revolution/ |title=Appolinaire Jean Kyelem de Tembela: 'j'ai toujours voulu faire un livre sur la révolution' |website=thomassankara.net |date=4 April 2014 |language=fr |access-date=25 December 2023}}][{{cite web |url=https://www.theafricareport.com/253271/burkina-faso-apollinaire-kyelem-de-tambela-captain-traores-surprise-prime-minister/ |title=Burkina Faso: Apollinaire Kyélem de TambÚla, Captain Traoré's surprise prime minister |work=The Africa Report |first1=Anna |last1=Sylvestre-Treiner |first2=Michel |last2=Wendpouiré Nana |date=25 October 2022 |access-date=25 December 2023 |url-access=subscription}}]
| leader_title1 = [[Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration|President of the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration]]
| leader_name1 = [[Ibrahim Traoré]]
| leader_title2 = [[List of heads of state of Burkina Faso|President]]
| leader_name2 = [[Ibrahim Traoré]] (''interim'')
| leader_title3 = [[List of prime ministers of Burkina Faso|Prime Minister]]
| leader_name3 = [[Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo]] (''interim'')
| legislature = [[National Assembly (Burkina Faso)|National Assembly]]
| sovereignty_type = [[History of Burkina Faso|History]]
| established_event1 = [[Republic of Upper Volta]] proclaimed
| established_date1 = 11 December 1958
| established_event2 = Independence from France
| established_date2 = 5 August 1960
| established_event3 = [[1966 Upper Voltan coup d'Ă©tat]]
| established_date3 = 3 January 1966
| established_event5 = [[2014 Burkina Faso uprising]]
| established_date5 = 28 October â 3 November 2014
| established_event6 = [[January 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'Ă©tat|Jan 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'Ă©tat]]
| established_date6 = 23â24 January 2022
| established_event7 = [[September 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'Ă©tat|Sep 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'Ă©tat]]
| established_date7 = 30 September 2022
| area_km2 = 274,223[{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Burkina Faso|access-date=25 December 2023|year=2023}}]
| area_rank = 74th
| area_sq_mi = 105,869
| percent_water = 0.148%
| population_estimate = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 22,489,126[{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2026 |url=https://www.imf.org/en/publications/weo/issues/2026/04/14/world-economic-outlook-april-2026 |work=[[International Monetary Fund]] |date=April 2026 |access-date=2 September 2026 |language=en}}]
| GDP_PPP_year = 2026
| GDP_PPP_rank = 116th
| GDP_PPP_per_capita = {{increase}} $3,230[{{cite web | url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?name_desc=false | title=World Bank Open Data }}]
| Gini_rank =
| HDI = 0.459
| HDI_year = 2023
| HDI_change = increase
| HDI_ref = [{{Cite web |date=2025 |title=Human Development Report 2025 |url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf|access-date=14 May 2025 |publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]] |language=en}}]
| HDI_rank = 186th
| currency = [[West African CFA franc]][CFA Franc BCEAO. Codes: XOF / 952 [http://www.currency-iso.org/dam/downloads/table_a1.xml ISO 4217 currency names and code elements] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407090907/http://www.currency-iso.org/dam/downloads/table_a1.xml|date=7 April 2014 }}. ISO.]
| currency_code = XOF
| time_zone = [[Greenwich Mean Time|GMT]]
| utc_offset = +00:00
| calling_code = [[+226]]
| iso3166code = BF
| cctld = [[.bf]]
| footnotes =
| today =
}}
'''Burkina Faso'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|uk|b|ÉËr|Ë|k|iË|n|É|_|Ë|f|ĂŠ|s|oÊ}} {{respell|bur|KEE|nÉ|_|FASS|oh}}, {{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-Burkina Faso.ogg|us|-|Ë|f|ÉË|s|oÊ}} {{respell|-|FAH|soh}};[{{Cite web|url=https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/burkina-faso|title=burkina-faso noun â Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes {{!}} Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com|website=www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com|access-date=20 November 2017}}] {{langx|mos|BurkÄ©na Faso}} {{IPA|mos|bĂčÉŸkÄ©nĂĄ fĂ .sĂł|}}; {{langx|ff|đ€đ€”đ€Șđ€łđ€đ€Čđ€ą đ€đ€ąđ€§đ€ź|italic=no}};[{{cite web|url=https://www.unicode.org/cldr/cldr-aux/voting/36/pxml/seed/main/ff_Adlm.xml|title=ff_Adlm.xml|publisher=Unicode, Inc.}}] {{langx|dyu|ßßßßßßŁß ßßßß|italic=no}};[{{cite web|url=https://web.library.yale.edu/notes-cataloging-nko-script|title=Notes on cataloging in the N'ko script|publisher=Yale University Library}}] {{langx|bib|Burkina Fasoo}}[{{cite web|url=https://www.webonary.org/bissa-barka/en/browse/browse-vernacular-english/?letter=b&key=bib&totalEntries=1498&pagenr=27 |date=19 March 2016 |access-date=24 August 2026 |title=Dictionnaire Bissa-Barka |publisher=Webonary ([[SIL International]])}}]}} is a [[landlocked country]] in [[West Africa]].[{{Cite web |date=2024 |title=World Population Prospects 2024 |url=https://population.un.org/wpp/assets/Files/WPP2024_Summary-of-Results.pdf |website=Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations}}] Its citizens are known as [[Burkinabe nationality law|Burkinabes]], and its capital and largest city is [[Ouagadougou]].
The largest [[ethnic group]] in Burkina Faso is the [[Mossi people]], who settled the area in the 11th and 13th centuries. They established [[Mossi Kingdoms|kingdoms]] such as Ouagadougou, Tenkodogo, and Yatenga. In 1896, it was colonized by the [[French colonial empire|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 [[List of heads of state of Burkina Faso|the president]]. Since it gained its independence, the country has dealt with political instability, [[Droughts in the Sahel|droughts]], famines, and corruption. There have been various coups d'état, in [[1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état|1966]], [[1980 Upper Voltan coup d'état|1980]], [[1982 Upper Voltan coup d'état|1982]], [[1983 Upper Voltan coup d'état|1983]], [[1987 Burkina Faso coup d'état|1987]], and twice in 2022, in [[January 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état|January]] and [[September 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état|September]]. There were also unsuccessful coup attempts in [[1989 Burkina Faso coup d'état attempt|1989]], [[2015 Burkina Faso coup d'état|2015]], and [[2023 Burkina Faso coup attempt|2023]].
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 in Burkina Faso|Islam]], while 26.3% practices Christianity and 9% [[African traditional religions|animistic religions]], especially in the [[Sud-Ouest Region (Burkina Faso)|southwest of the country]].[{{cite web |last=Aib |first=Az |date=1 July 2022 |title=Burkina: 48,1% de la population du Sud-ouest pratique l'Animisme (officiel) |url=https://www.aib.media/2022/07/01/burkina-481-de-la-population-du-sud-ouest-pratique-lanimisme-officiel/ |access-date=15 October 2022 |website=AIB â Agence d'Information du Burkina |language=fr-FR |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326030716/https://www.aib.media/2022/07/01/burkina-481-de-la-population-du-sud-ouest-pratique-lanimisme-officiel/ |archive-date=26 March 2023}}] The country's official languages include [[MoorĂ©]], [[Dyula language|Dyula]], [[Fula language|Fula]], and [[Bissa language|Bissa]] ({{as of|1998|lc=yes}}), with MoorĂ© being spoken by over half the population. There are more than 60 indigenous languages, and the constitution provides for other languages to be made official by law. The former government and business language was French until January 2024 when, alongside English, its status was demoted to that of a "working language" by ratification of a constitutional amendment.[{{Cite web |date=2023-12-07 |title=Africa News - Burkina abandons French as an official language |url=https://www.africanews.com/2023/12/07/burkina-abandons-french-as-an-official-language/}}][{{Cite web |date=22 January 2024 |title=Decret Promulguant La Loi Constitutionnelle N° 045-2023/ALT |trans-title=Decree Promulgating Constitutional Law No. 045-2023/ALT |url=https://www.an.bf/storage/Loi/XzJuLCK5kHtKXgYU7Z7pADAGEPgwFV7J7DlX212n.pdf |language=fr}}]
The country's territory is geographically biodiverse, and includes plentiful reserves of gold, [[manganese]], copper and limestone. Due to its multicultural make-up, [[Art of Burkina Faso|BurkinabĂš art]] has a rich and long history, and is globally renowned for its orthodox style.[Roy, Christopher D. "Countries of Africa: Burkina Faso," Art and Life in Africa, {{cite web |title=Countries Resources |url=http://www.uiowa.edu/~africart/toc/countries.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140115211048/http://www.uiowa.edu/~africart/toc/countries.html |archive-date=15 January 2014 |access-date=14 April 2014}}]
The country is governed as a [[semi-presidential system|semi-presidential republic]], with executive, legislative and judicial powers. It is a member of the [[United Nations]] and the [[Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]]. Since 2025, Burkina Faso has formalised its exit from [[ECOWAS]] and [[La Francophonie]], after it helped form the [[Alliance of Sahel States]] (AES). It also remains suspended from 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 [[MoorĂ©]] and means "upright", showing how the people are proud of their integrity, while "Faso" comes from the [[Dyula language]] (as written in [[N'Ko script|N'Ko]]: {{lang|dyu|ßßߏßßß«}} ''faso'') and means "fatherland" (literally, "father's house"). The "-bĂ©" suffix added onto "Burkina" to form the demonym "BurkinabĂ©" comes from the [[Fula language]] and means "women or men".[{{cite web |url=https://afrolegends.com/2013/09/12/why-the-name-burkina-faso/ |title=Why the name: Burkina Faso? |work=afrolegends.com |date=12 September 2013}}] The US [[Central Intelligence Agency]]'s [[The World Factbook|World Fact Book]] gives the translation as "Land of the Honest (Incorruptible) Men".[{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Burkina Faso|date=21 December 2018|access-date=16 January 2019|year=2018}}]
The French Colony of Upper Volta was named for its location on the upper courses of the [[Volta River]] (the [[Black Volta|Black]], [[Red Volta|Red]] and [[White Volta]]).[{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=by3eqBwNRyIC&pg=PA21| author-last=Schweitzer | author-first=Richard | title=iAfrica â Ancient History UNTOLD|publisher=Forbidden Fruit Books LLC|page=21|language=en}}]
==History==
{{main|History of Burkina Faso}}
===Early history===
The northwestern part of present-day Burkina Faso was populated by [[hunter-gatherer]]s from 14,000 BC to 5,000 BC. Their tools, including [[scraper (archaeology)|scrapers]], [[chisel]]s and [[arrowhead]]s, were discovered in 1973 through [[Excavation (archaeology)|archaeological excavations]].[{{Cite web|title=Burkina Faso|url=https://www.smoketreemanor.com/burkina-faso/|date=23 October 2019|website=Smoke Tree Manor|language=en-US|access-date=30 May 2020}}] Agricultural settlements were established between 3600 and 2600 BC.[UNESCO World Heritage Centre. [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5045/ "Site archéologique de Bura"]. UNESCO.] [[Iron industry]], in [[smelting]] and [[forging]] for tools and weapons, had developed in [[Sub-Saharan Africa]] by 1200 BC.[{{Cite journal
|doi = 10.1017/S0021853700025949|jstor=182719
|title = Early Metal Working in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review of Recent Research.
|journal = The Journal of African History
|volume = 35
|issue=1
|pages = 1â36
|year = 2009
|last1 = Miller|first1 = D. E.
|last2 = Van Der Merwe|first2 = N. J.
|s2cid=162330270
}}][{{cite journal|title=Radiocarbon Chronology of the Iron Age in Sub-Saharan Africa|last1=Stuiver |first1= Minze|last2=van der Merwe |first2= Nicolaas J.|journal=Current Anthropology|volume=9|issue=1|year=1968|pages=54â58|jstor=2740446|doi=10.1086/200878|s2cid=145379030}}]
To date, the oldest evidence of iron smelting found in Burkina Faso dates from 800 to 700 BC and forms part of the [[Ancient Ferrous Metallurgy Sites of Burkina Faso|Ancient Ferrous Metallurgy]] World Heritage Site.[{{cite web |url = https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1602 |title = Ancient Ferrous Metallurgy Sites of Burkina Faso |website = UNESCO World Heritage List |publisher = UNESCO |access-date = 21 March 2021}}] From the 3rd to the 13th centuries AD, 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 people|Mossi]], [[Fula people|Fula]] and [[Dyula people|Dioula]], arrived in successive waves between the 8th and 15th centuries. From the 11th century, the Mossi people established [[Mossi Kingdoms|several separate kingdoms]].{{cn|date=February 2026}}
[[File:Africa de l'OĂšst en 1875-es.svg|thumb|upright=1.6|West Africa {{Circa|1875}}]]
===8th to 18th centuries===
There is debate about the exact dates when Burkina Faso's many ethnic groups arrived to the area. The proto-[[Mossi people|Mossi]] 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.[[[#Rupley|Rupley]], p. 27] The [[Samo language (Burkina)|Samo]] arrived around the 15th century.[[[#Rupley|Rupley]], p. 28] The [[Dogon people|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.[{{Cite book |last=Shoup |first=John A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SPBfnT_E1mgC&q=the+dogon+lived+in+burkina+faso+in+15th+century&pg=PA86 |title=Ethnic Groups of Africa and the Middle East: An Encyclopedia |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2011|isbn=978-1-59884-362-0}}]
[[File:Boukary Koutou, also known as Wobgho, Mossi King of Ouagadougou with cavalry, Burkina Faso, 1892.jpg|thumb|The cavalry of the [[Mossi Kingdoms]] were experts at raiding deep into enemy territory, even against the formidable [[Mali Empire]].]]
[[File:Pg381 Des hommes sur les toits s'opposent.jpg|thumb|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.["Encyclopedia of the Nations." History. Advameg, Inc., n.d. Web. 8 October 2014.] Sometime between 1328 and 1338, Mossi warriors raided [[Timbuktu]] but the Mossi were defeated by [[Sonni Ali]] of [[Songhai Empire|Songhai]] at the Battle of Kobi in Mali in 1483.[[[#Rupley|Rupley]], p. xxvioi]
During the early 16th century, the Songhai conducted many slave raids into what is today Burkina Faso.[[[#Rupley|Rupley]], p. xxvix]
===From colony to independence (1890sâ1958)===
{{Main|Upper Senegal and Niger|French Upper Volta}}
{{more citations needed section|date=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 [[Colonialism|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 [[French Third Republic|France]], becoming a [[French colonial empire|French protectorate]] in 1896.[[[#Rupley|Rupley]], pp. 30â33]
[[File:Carte de l'Afrique-Occidentale française, 1914.svg|thumb|[[French West Africa]] {{circa}} 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.[Figures de la rĂ©volution africaine, de Kenyatta Ă Sankara, La DĂ©couverte, 2014, pp. 271â288.]
[[Conscription|Draftees]] from the territory participated in the European fronts of [[World War I]] in the battalions of the [[Tirailleurs sénégalais|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]].[Mahir Saul and Patrick Royer, ''West African Challenge to Empire'', 2001]
The French government finally suppressed the movement but only after suffering defeats. {{Verify source|date=May 2025}} 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 people|Tuareg]] and allied groups of the Dori region ended their truce with the government.
[[File:Mittelholzer-ouagadougou.jpg|thumb|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 Volta|Black]], [[Red Volta|Red]] and [[White Volta]]), and François Charles Alexis Ădouard Hesling became its first [[List of governors of Upper Volta|governor]]. Hesling initiated an ambitious road-making program to improve infrastructure and promoted the growth of cotton for export. The cotton policy â based on [[coercion]] â 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.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}
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-governance|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.[{{cite web|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/635|title=More (Language of the Moose people) Phrase Book|publisher=[[World Digital Library]]|access-date=16 February 2013}}]
===Upper Volta (1958â1984)===
{{main|Republic of Upper Volta}}
[[File:Maurice Yaméogo and Louis Jacquinot exchanging instruments of ratification for the independence of the Upper Volta.jpg|thumb|[[Maurice Yaméogo]], the first president of Upper Volta, examines documents pertaining to the ratification of the country's independence in 1960.]]
The Republic of Upper Volta ({{langx|fr|link=no|RĂ©publique 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 [[Tributary|tributaries]], the [[Black Volta|Black]], [[White Volta|White]] and [[Red Volta]], were expressed in the three colors of the [[Flag of Upper Volta|former national flag]].{{cn|date=February 2026}}
Before attaining autonomy, it had been French Upper Volta and part of the French Union. On 5 August 1960, it attained full independence from [[French Fourth Republic|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. Soon after coming to power, Yaméogo banned all political parties other than the UDV.[{{cite book
|title=The Statesman's Yearbook Companion
|chapter=Yaméogo, Maurice (Burkina Faso)
|year=2019
|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan
|location=London
|page=417
|isbn=978-1-349-95838-2
|doi=10.1057/978-1-349-95839-9_838
|chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/rwe/10.1057/978-1-349-95839-9_838}}] The government lasted until 1966. After much unrest, including mass demonstrations and strikes by students, labor unions, and civil servants, the military intervened.[{{cite news
|title=1960â2022: The long history of coups dâĂ©tat in Burkina Faso|url=https://www.africanews.com/2022/01/25/1960-2022-the-long-history-of-coups-d-etat-in-burkina-faso/
|work=Africanews
|publisher=Africanews with AFP
|date=25 January 2022
|access-date=1 March 2026
}}]
==== Lamizana's rule and multiple coups ====
The [[1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état|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.{{cn|date=February 2026}}
Lamizana's government faced problems with the country's traditionally powerful trade unions,[{{cite web |title=Restless Workers Call the Tune in Upper Volta | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1981/03/02/restless-workers-call-the-tune-in-upper-volta/69eaa565-504e-47ed-8be5-2063cc0aec36/ | publisher=The Washington Post |access-date=3 September 2026}}] and on 25 November 1980, Col. [[Saye Zerbo]] overthrew President Lamizana in a [[1980 Upper Voltan coup d'Ă©tat|bloodless coup]]. Colonel Zerbo established the Military Committee of Recovery for National Progress as the supreme governmental authority, thus eradicating the 1977 constitution.[{{cite journal
|last=Sawo
|first=Abdoulie
|title=The Chronology of Military Coup dâĂ©tats and Regimes in Burkina Faso: 1980â2015
|journal=International Relations
|volume=48
|year=2017
|doi=10.1501/Intrel_0000000310
|url=https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/844858|doi-access=free
}}]{{rp|pages=6â7}}
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.[{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vqEHU3iW2i0C&pg=PA137 |title=Revolutionary Overthrow of Constitutional Orders in Africa |last=Anyangwe|first=Carlson|date=2012|publisher=African Books Collective|isbn=978-9956-727-78-0|language=en}}][{{Cite web|title=Burkina Faso's history, also called Upper Volta, endured between 1960 and 1987, 6 military coups and the establishment of 3 republics.|url=https://www.blaisecompaore.com/en/political-and-military-career/1960-1983-engagement/|access-date=5 November 2020|website=Blaise Compaore |language=en-GB}}]
====1983 coup d'Ă©tat====
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.{{cn|date=February 2026}}
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.[''[[Thomas Sankara: the Upright Man]]'' by ''[[California Newsreel]]'']
=== 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'').[
[https://www.wdl.org/en/item/635/ More (Language of the Mossi Tribe) Phrase Book] â "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]{{request quotation|date=March 2020}}[{{cite book |last=Manning |first=Patrick |title=Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa: 1880â1995 |year=1998 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i4bPWSPutYcC
|isbn=978-0-521-64519-5 |page=126 |quote=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 [[Amalgamation (linguistics)|amalgam]] of [[More language|More]] ''burkina'' ("honest", "upright", or "incorruptible men") and [[Dioula language|Jula]] ''faso'' ("homeland"; literally "father's house"). The "-be" suffix in the name for the people â Burkinabe â comes from the Fula plural suffix for people, ''-Ée''.] The presidential decree was confirmed by the National Assembly on 4 August 1984.{{cn|date=February 2026}}
Sankara's government comprised the National Council for the Revolution (CNR â {{langx|fr|Conseil national rĂ©volutionnaire}}), with Sankara as its president, and established popular [[Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (Burkina Faso)|Committees for the Defense of the Revolution]] (CDRs). The [[Pioneers of the Revolution]] youth programme was also established.{{cn|date=February 2026}}
Sankara launched an ambitious socioeconomic programme for change, one of the largest ever undertaken on the African continent.[{{Cite web |url=https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/commemorating-thomas-sankara-by-farid-omar |title=Commemorating Thomas Sankara |first=Farid |last=Omar |work=Group for Research and Initiative for the Liberation of Africa (GRILA) |date=28 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120124093433/http://www.znetwork.org/commemorating-thomas-sankara-by-farid-omar |archive-date=24 January 2012}}]
Sankara pushed for agrarian self-sufficiency and promoted public health by vaccinating 2,500,000 children against [[meningitis]], [[yellow fever]], and [[measles]].[{{Cite news |url=http://thomassankara.net/resurrecting-thomas-sankara/?lang=en |title=Resurrecting Thomas Sankara â My Blog |last=X |first=Mr |date=28 October 2015 |work=My Blog |access-date=25 April 2017}}]
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."[{{cite news |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2020/01/03/thomas-sankara-l-ecologiste_6024742_3212.html |title=Thomas Sankara, l'Ă©cologiste |language=fr |first=Pierre |last=Lepidi |date=3 January 2020 |newspaper=[[Le Monde]] |location=Paris}}]
==== Compaoré presidency ====
[[File:Blaise Compaore with George Bush July 16, 2008.jpg|thumb|[[Blaise CompaorĂ©]] (left), President 1987â2014, shaking hands with [[George W. Bush]]]]
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.[{{Cite news |last1=Aidi |first1=Hisham |title=Reviving Thomas Sankara's spirit |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/06/reviving-thomas-sankara-spirit-150603104633020.html |access-date=25 April 2017 |publisher=Al Jazeera}}] After the coup and although Sankara was known to be dead, some CDRs mounted an armed resistance to the [[Army of Burkina Faso|army]] for several days.[{{Cite web |title=Who Killed Thomas Sankara |work=[[The Nation]] |date=November 24, 2021 |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/world/thomas-sankara-trial/|first=Clair |last=MacDougall |access-date=13 March 2024}}][{{Cite web |title=Burkina Faso 'wants France to release Sankara archives' |work=BBC News |date=13 October 2016 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-37643926 |access-date=13 March 2024}}][{{Cite web |title=Thomas Sankara murder: Ex-Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaoré found guilty |date=6 April 2022 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-61008332|publisher=BBC News |access-date=13 March 2024}}] A majority{{quantify|date=March 2020}} of BurkinabÚ citizens hold that [[Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (France)|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.[{{Cite web |last=Jaffré |first=Bruno |date=9 September 2009 |title=Assassination of Thomas Sankara: evidence of a documentary by RAI 3 involve France, CIA and Blaise Compaoré |url=https://www.thomassankara.net/assassination-of-thomas-sankara-evidence-of-a-documentary-by-rai-3-involve-france-cia-and-blaise-compaore/?lang=en |work=thomassankara.net}}]
Compaoré gave the deterioration in relations with neighbouring countries as one of the reasons for the coup.[{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=80SvCmSTxGoC&pg=PA128 |title=African Leaders |date=2011 |publisher=Bankole Kamara Taylor |isbn=978-1-4681-1436-2 |editor-last1=Kasuka |editor-first1=Bridgette |page=13}}{{unreliable source?|date=June 2023|reason=source is an edited compilation of wikipedia articles;}}] He argued that Sankara had jeopardised foreign relations with the former colonial power ([[France]]) and with neighbouring [[Ivory Coast]].[{{Cite web |first=Mathieu |last=Bonkoungou |date=17 October 2007 |title=Burkina Faso Salutes "Africa's Che" Thomas Sankara |url=https://www.reuters.com/assets/print?aid=USL17577712 |work=[[Reuters]]}}] 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 [[1989 Burkina Faso coup attempt|coup-attempt in 1989]], Compaoré introduced limited democratic reforms in 1990. Under the new (1991) [[Constitution of Burkina Faso|constitution]], Compaoré was [[1991 Burkinabé presidential election|re-elected]] without opposition in December 1991. In 1998 Compaoré won [[1998 Burkinabé presidential election|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.["Burkina Faso Profile", BBC NEWS AFRICA, 21 March 2014, 24 September 2014.]
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 the amendment would not apply until the end of his second term in office. This cleared the way for his candidacy in [[2005 Burkinabé presidential election|the 2005 election]]. On 13 November 2005, he was reelected in a landslide.{{cn|date=February 2026}}
In the [[2010 Burkinabé presidential election|2010 presidential election]], Compaoré was re-elected. Only 1.6 million BurkinabÚ voted, out of a total population 10 times that size. In February 2011, the death of a schoolboy provoked the [[2011 BurkinabÚ 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.[{{cite news |date=23 April 2011 |title=Burkina opposition calls anti-president demo |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=182823 |access-date=24 April 2011 |work=The Daily Star}}][{{cite news |last1=Taoko |first1=Hervé |last2=Nossiter |first2=Adam |date=27 April 2011 |title=Mayor's Home Burned as Burkina Faso Protests Continue |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/world/africa/28burkina.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430114102/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/world/africa/28burkina.html |archive-date=30 April 2011 |access-date=30 April 2011 |work=The New York Times}}][{{cite news |last=Gongo |first=Simon |date=28 April 2011 |title=Burkina Faso Riot Police Join Wave of Protests After Government Dissolved |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-28/burkina-faso-riot-police-join-wave-of-protests-after-government-dissolved.html |access-date=30 April 2011 |publisher=Bloomberg L.P.}}] As a result, governors were replaced and wages for public servants were raised.[{{cite news |date=25 May 2011 |title=Burkina Faso teachers' strike: Union agrees deal |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13542959 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527020543/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13542959 |archive-date=27 May 2011 |access-date=28 May 2011 |work=BBC News}}][{{cite news |date=9 June 2011 |title=Burkina Faso government replaces its governors |url=http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1623195 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304115622/http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1623195 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=11 June 2011 |work=Taiwan News}}] In April 2011, there was an [[2011 Burkina Faso mutiny|army mutiny]]; the president named new chiefs of staff, and a curfew was imposed in [[Ouagadougou]].[{{cite news |date=16 April 2011 |title=Burkina Faso capital under curfew after army mutiny |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13107109 |access-date=17 April 2011 |work=BBC News}}]
CompaorĂ©'s government played the role of negotiator in several West-African disputes, including the [[2010â2011 Ivorian crisis]], the Inter-Togolese Dialogue (2007), and the [[2012 Malian coup d'Ă©tat|2012 Malian Crisis]]. {{As of|2014}}, Burkina Faso remained one of the [[Least developed country|least-developed countries]] in the world.[{{Cite web |last=United Nation |year=2016 |title=List of Least Developed Countries |url=https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/cdp/ldc/ldc_list.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110301020225/http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/cdp/ldc/ldc_list.pdf |archive-date=1 March 2011 |publisher=United Nations}}]
==== Kafando presidency ====
{{Main|2014 BurkinabĂš uprising}}
[[File:Burkina Faso Protests.png|thumb|Thousands of protesters march through Ouagadougou, 2014]]
Starting on 28 October 2014 protesters began to march and demonstrate in Ouagadougou against President Compaoré, who appeared{{request quotation|date=March 2020}} ready to amend the constitution and extend his rule. On 30 October protesters set fire to the parliament building[{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29831262 |title=Burkina Faso parliament set ablaze |newspaper=BBC News |access-date=30 October 2014 |date=30 October 2014}}] and took over the national TV headquarters.[{{cite web |url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/burkina-faso-protesters-set-parliament-on-fire-take-over-state-tv-and-march-on-presidency-20141031-11emg3.html |title=Burkina Faso protesters set parliament on fire, take over state TV and march on presidency |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |access-date=30 October 2014 |date=30 October 2014}}] [[Ouagadougou Airport|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]].[{{cite web |url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-10-30/burkina-faso-president-dissolves-government-as-protests-escalate |title=Burkina Faso General Takes Power After President Resigns |last1=Gongo |first1=Simon |last2=Bax |first2=Pauline |name-list-style=amp |work=Bloomberg BusinessWeek |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102122055/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-10-30/burkina-faso-president-dissolves-government-as-protests-escalate |archive-date=2 January 2015}}]
On 31 October 2014, Compaoré resigned.[Herve, Taoko and Cowelloct, Alan (31 October 2014) [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/01/world/africa/burkina-faso-unrest-blaise-compaore.html?_r=0 Burkina Faso's President Resigns, and General Takes Reins]. ''The New York Times''.] [[Yacouba Isaac Zida|Lt. Col. Isaac Zida]] said that he would lead the country during its transitional period before the planned [[2015 BurkinabÚ general election|2015 presidential election]], but there were concerns{{by whom|date=March 2020}} over his close ties to the former president.[{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29863004 |title=Army backs new Burkina Faso leader Isaac Zida |newspaper=BBC News |date=November 2014}}] In November 2014 opposition parties, [[civil society|civil-society]] groups and religious leaders adopted a plan for a transitional authority to guide Burkina Faso to elections.[{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-burkina-politics-idUSKCN0IT0U320141109 |title=Burkina Faso talks agree on plan for return to civilian rule |work=Reuters|first=Nadoun |last=Coulibaly|date=9 November 2014 |access-date=9 November 2014 |archive-date=10 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110231047/http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/09/us-burkina-politics-idUSKCN0IT0U320141109 |url-status=live}}] Under the plan [[Michel Kafando]] became the transitional president and Lt. Col. Zida became the acting Prime Minister and Defense Minister.{{cn|date=February 2026}}
On 16 September 2015, the [[Regiment of Presidential Security]] (RSP) carried out a [[2015 Burkina Faso coup d'état|coup d'état]], seizing the president and prime minister and then declaring the [[National Council for Democracy]] the new national government.[{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/burkinafaso/11870962/Burkina-Faso-coup-military-says-it-now-controls-country-after-arresting-leaders-live.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/burkinafaso/11870962/Burkina-Faso-coup-military-says-it-now-controls-country-after-arresting-leaders-live.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Burkina Faso coup: military says it now controls country after arresting leaders: live |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=17 September 2015 |first=Raziye |last=Akkoc |others=agencies}}{{cbignore}}] However, on 22 September 2015, the coup leader, [[Gilbert Diendéré]], apologized and promised to restore civilian government.[{{Cite news |title=Burkina Faso Leader Apologizes To Nation For Seizing Power in a Coup |newspaper=NPR |date=22 September 2015 |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/09/22/442441403/burkina-faso-leader-apologizes-to-nation-for-seizing-power-in-a-coup |access-date=23 September 2015 |last1=Andrusewicz |first1=Marie}}] On 23 September 2015 the prime minister and interim president were restored to power.[{{Cite news |title=A Week After Coup, Burkina Faso's Interim President Back in Power |newspaper=NPR |date=23 September 2015 |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/09/23/442826830/1-week-after-coup-burkina-fasos-interim-president-back-in-power |access-date=23 September 2015 |last1=Wagner |first1=Laura}}]
==== KaborĂ© presidency and Jihadist insurgency (2015â2023) ====
{{main|Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso|Terrorism in Burkina Faso}}
[[2015 BurkinabÚ general election|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%.[Mathieu Bonkoungou and Nadoun Coulibaly, [https://news.yahoo.com/kabore-wins-burkina-faso-presidential-vote-electoral-commission-003634457.html "Kabore wins Burkina Faso presidential election"], Reuters, 1 December 2015.] Kaboré was sworn in as president on 29 December 2015.[{{Cite news |url=https://news.yahoo.com/burkina-faso-swears-president-capping-transition-161614791.html |title=Burkina Faso swears in new president, capping transition |work=Agence France-Presse |date=29 December 2015}}] Kaboré was re-elected in the [[2020 BurkinabÚ general election|general election of 22 November 2020]], but his party Mouvement du Peuple pour le ProgrÚs (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.[{{Cite web |url=https://www.africanews.com/2020/11/30/burkina-faso-elections-kabore-s-party-fails-to-win-majority-parliamentary-seats/ |title=Burkina Faso elections: Kabore's party fails to clinch majority parliamentary seats |date=30 November 2020}}]
[[File:Smoke rises from Embassy of France in Burkina Faso, March 2, 2018.jpg|thumb|Smoke rising from French Embassy in Ouagadougou, 2 March 2018, during the [[2018 Ouagadougou attacks]]]]
A [[Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso|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.[Ludivine Laniepce, [https://www.la-croix.com/Monde/Afrique/Au-Burkina-Faso-frontieres-peur-2016-10-19-1200797429 Au Burkina Faso, les frontiĂšres de la peur], ''La Croix'', 19 octobre 2016.][{{cite web |date=27 October 2016 |title=Le Burkina Faso va renforcer la sĂ©curitĂ© de ses postes de police frontaliers |url=https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20161027-le-burkina-faso-va-renforcer-securite-postes-police-frontaliers |access-date=21 December 2021 |website=RFI |language=fr |archive-date=21 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221211029/https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20161027-le-burkina-faso-va-renforcer-securite-postes-police-frontaliers |url-status=live}}] On 15 January 2016, terrorists [[2016 Ouagadougou attacks|attacked the capital city]] of [[Ouagadougou]], killing 30 people. [[Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb]] and [[Al-Mourabitoun (militant group)|Al-Mourabitoune]], which until then had mostly operated in neighbouring [[Mali]], claimed responsibility for the attack.[{{cite web |title=Burkina: le bilan de l'attentat s'Ă©lĂšve Ă 30 morts aprĂšs le dĂ©cĂšs de la photographe LeĂŻla Alaoui â Jeune Afrique |url=https://www.jeuneafrique.com/294932/politique/burkina-bilan-de-lattentat-seleve-a-30-morts-apres-deces-de-photographe-leila-alaoui/ |access-date=21 December 2021 |website=jeuneafrique.com|date=19 January 2016 |language=fr-FR |archive-date=21 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221211009/https://www.jeuneafrique.com/294932/politique/burkina-bilan-de-lattentat-seleve-a-30-morts-apres-deces-de-photographe-leila-alaoui/ |url-status=live}}][{{cite web |date=15 January 2016 |title=Une vingtaine de morts aprĂšs l'attaque djihadiste de Ouagadougou |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/international/2016/01/15/01003-20160115ARTFIG00370-burkina-faso-tirs-et-detonations-dans-le-centre-de-ouagadougou.php |access-date=16 January 2016 |website=[[Le Figaro]] |language=fr |archive-date=21 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221211042/https://www.lefigaro.fr/international/2016/01/15/01003-20160115ARTFIG00370-burkina-faso-tirs-et-detonations-dans-le-centre-de-ouagadougou.php |url-status=live}}]
In 2016, attacks increased after a new group [[Ansar ul Islam (Western Africa)|Ansarul Islam]], led by imam [[Ibrahim Malam Dicko]], was founded.[[http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20170210-groupe-jihadiste-Ansaroul-Islam-Ibrahim-Malam-Dicko-burkina-faso?ref=tw_i Un groupe jihadiste tente de s'implanter au Burkina Faso] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329041626/http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20170210-groupe-jihadiste-Ansaroul-Islam-Ibrahim-Malam-Dicko-burkina-faso?ref=tw_i |date=29 March 2019}}, ''RFI'', 10 fĂ©vrier 2017.][{{Cite news |date=11 April 2017 |title=Comment est nĂ© Ansaroul Islam, premier groupe djihadiste de l'Histoire du Burkina Faso |language=fr |work=Le Monde.fr |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2017/04/11/comment-est-ne-ansaroul-islam-premier-groupe-djihadiste-de-l-histoire-du-burkina-faso_5109520_3212.html |access-date=21 December 2021 |archive-date=21 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221211011/https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2017/04/11/comment-est-ne-ansaroul-islam-premier-groupe-djihadiste-de-l-histoire-du-burkina-faso_5109520_3212.html |url-status=live}}] Its attacks focused particularly on [[Soum Province|Soum province]][{{cite web |title=Qui est l'imam Ibrahim Dicko, la nouvelle terreur du nord du Burkina ? â Jeune Afrique |url=https://www.jeuneafrique.com/390558/politique/limam-ibrahim-dicko-nouvelle-terreur-nord-burkina/ |access-date=21 December 2021 |website=jeuneafrique.com |date=9 January 2017 |language=fr-FR |archive-date=21 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221211016/https://www.jeuneafrique.com/390558/politique/limam-ibrahim-dicko-nouvelle-terreur-nord-burkina/ |url-status=live}}] and it killed dozens of people in the [[Nassoumbou attack|attack on Nassoumbou]] on 16 December.[{{cite web|first=Benjamin |last=Roger|url=http://www.jeuneafrique.com/390558/politique/limam-ibrahim-dicko-nouvelle-terreur-nord-burkina/ |title=Qui est l'imam Ibrahim Dicko, la nouvelle terreur du nord du Burkina ?]|work=Jeune Afrique|date= 9 January 2016}}]
Between 27 March and 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.[{{cite web|title=Barkhane: opération transfrontaliÚre Panga dans la boucle du Niger élargie |url=https://www.defense.gouv.fr/operations/afrique/bande-sahelo-saharienne/operation-barkhane/breves/barkhane-operation-transfrontaliere-panga-dans-la-boucle-du-niger-elargie |url-status=live |access-date=21 December 2021 |website=defense.gouv.fr |language=fr |archive-date=21 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221211011/https://www.defense.gouv.fr/operations/afrique/bande-sahelo-saharienne/operation-barkhane/breves/barkhane-operation-transfrontaliere-panga-dans-la-boucle-du-niger-elargie}}][{{cite web |date=6 April 2017 |title=Mali: opération anti-terroriste d'envergure à la frontiÚre avec le Burkina Faso |url=https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20170406-mali-operation-anti-terroriste-envergure-frontiere-le-burkina-faso |access-date=21 December 2021 |website=rfi.fr |language=fr |archive-date=21 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221211034/https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20170406-mali-operation-anti-terroriste-envergure-frontiere-le-burkina-faso |url-status=live}}] The head of Ansarul Islam, Ibrahim Malam Dicko, was killed in June 2017 and [[Jafar Dicko]] became leader.[{{cite web |date=26 July 2017 |title=Meurtres dans le nord du Burkina: Ansarul Islam victime d'une guerre intestine? |url=https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20170726-burkina-faso-assassinats-autorites-suspectent-reglements-ansarul-islam |access-date=21 December 2021 |website=rfi.fr |language=fr |archive-date=21 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221211027/https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20170726-burkina-faso-assassinats-autorites-suspectent-reglements-ansarul-islam |url-status=live}}]
On 2 March 2018, [[Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin]] [[2018 Ouagadougou attacks|attacked the French embassy]] in [[Ouagadougou]] as well as the general staff of the BurkinabĂš army. Eight soldiers and eight attackers were killed, and a further 61 soldiers and 24 civilians were injured.[{{cite news |url=https://lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2018/03/07/attaques-de-ouagadougou-un-nouveau-bilan-fait-etat-de-huit-militaires-burkinabes-tues_5267019_3212.html |title=Attaques de Ouagadougou : un nouveau bilan fait Ă©tat de huit militaires burkinabĂ©s tuĂ©s |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221211010/https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2018/03/07/attaques-de-ouagadougou-un-nouveau-bilan-fait-etat-de-huit-militaires-burkinabes-tues_5267019_3212.html |archive-date=21 December 2021 |work=[[Le Monde]] |agency=AFP |date=7 March 2018 |lang=fr}}] The insurgency expanded to the east of the country[{{cite web |title=Burkina: les autoritĂ©s confrontĂ©es Ă un nouveau dĂ©fi sĂ©curitaire dans l'Est |work=Jeune Afrique |url=https://www.jeuneafrique.com/631985/politique/burkina-les-autorites-confrontees-a-un-nouveau-defi-securitaire-dans-lest/ |access-date=21 December 2021 |date=19 September 2018 |language=fr-FR |archive-date=21 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221211022/https://www.jeuneafrique.com/631985/politique/burkina-les-autorites-confrontees-a-un-nouveau-defi-securitaire-dans-lest/ |url-status=live}}][{{Cite news |date=18 October 2018 |title=Le Burkina Faso dĂ©sormais sur la carte du djihadisme|language=fr|work=Le Monde.fr|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2018/10/18/le-burkina-faso-desormais-sur-la-carte-du-djihadisme_5371448_3212.html |access-date=21 December 2021 |archive-date=21 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221211021/https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2018/10/18/le-burkina-faso-desormais-sur-la-carte-du-djihadisme_5371448_3212.html |url-status=live}}][{{cite web |last=MacĂ© |first=CĂ©lian |title=Dans l'est du Burkina Faso, un nouveau foyer pour le jihad ? |url=https://www.liberation.fr/planete/2018/12/03/dans-l-est-du-burkina-faso-un-nouveau-foyer-pour-le-jihad_1695777/ |access-date=21 December 2021 |website=libĂ©ration.fr |language=fr |archive-date=21 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221211021/https://www.liberation.fr/planete/2018/12/03/dans-l-est-du-burkina-faso-un-nouveau-foyer-pour-le-jihad_1695777/ |url-status=live}}] and, in early October, the Armed Forces of Burkina Faso launched a major military operation in the country's East, supported by French forces.[{{cite web |date=8 October 2018 |title=Burkina Faso: vaste opĂ©ration de sĂ©curitĂ© dans les forĂȘts de l'Est |url=https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20181008-burkina-faso-operation-nettoyage-forets-est-barkhane |access-date=21 December 2021 |website=rfi.fr |language=fr |archive-date=21 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221211025/https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20181008-burkina-faso-operation-nettoyage-forets-est-barkhane |url-status=live}}][{{cite web |date=10 October 2018 |title=Barkhane en opĂ©ration au Burkina Faso |url=https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20181010-barkhane-operation-burkina-faso |access-date=21 December 2021 |website=rfi.fr |language=fr |archive-date=21 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221211029/https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20181010-barkhane-operation-burkina-faso |url-status=live}}][{{cite news |date=10 October 2018 |title=La France "disposĂ©e" Ă apporter au Burkina le mĂȘme soutien militaire qu'au Mali |language=fr |work=Le Monde |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2018/10/10/la-france-disposee-a-apporter-au-burkina-le-meme-soutien-militaire-qu-au-mali_5367342_3212.html |access-date=21 December 2021 |archive-date=21 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221211012/https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2018/10/10/la-france-disposee-a-apporter-au-burkina-le-meme-soutien-militaire-qu-au-mali_5367342_3212.html |url-status=live}}] 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.[{{cite web |date=22 March 2019 |title=Burkina Faso: Atrocities by Armed Islamists, Security Forces |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/03/22/burkina-faso-atrocities-armed-islamists-security-forces |access-date=21 December 2021 |website=Human Rights Watch |language=en |archive-date=21 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221211008/https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/03/22/burkina-faso-atrocities-armed-islamists-security-forces |url-status=live}}] The attacks [[2019 attacks in Burkina Faso|increased significantly in 2019]]. According to the [[Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project|ACLED]], armed violence in Burkina Faso jumped by 174% in 2019, with nearly 1,300 civilians dead and 860,000 displaced.[{{cite news |date=2 June 2020 |title=Au moins cinquante morts dans une sĂ©rie d'attaques au Burkina Faso |language=fr |work=Le Monde |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2020/06/02/au-moins-cinquante-morts-dans-une-serie-d-attaques-au-burkina-faso_6041511_3212.html |access-date=21 December 2021 |archive-date=21 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221211007/https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2020/06/02/au-moins-cinquante-morts-dans-une-serie-d-attaques-au-burkina-faso_6041511_3212.html |url-status=live}}] Jihadist groups also began to specifically target [[Christianity in Burkina Faso|Christians]].[{{cite web |date=29 April 2019 |title=Six morts dans l'attaque d'un temple protestant au Burkina Faso |url=https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20190429-burkina-faso-soum-temple-protestant-silgadji-pasteur |access-date=21 December 2021 |website=rfi.fr |language=fr |archive-date=21 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221211018/https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20190429-burkina-faso-soum-temple-protestant-silgadji-pasteur |url-status=live}}][{{cite web |date=6 January 2020 |title=Burkina Faso: Armed Islamist Atrocities Surge |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/01/06/burkina-faso-armed-islamist-atrocities-surge |access-date=21 December 2021 |website=Human Rights Watch |language=en |archive-date=21 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221211008/https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/01/06/burkina-faso-armed-islamist-atrocities-surge |url-status=live}}][{{cite news |date=12 May 2019 |title=Six personnes tuĂ©es dans une Ă©glise dans le nord du Burkina Faso |language=fr |work=Le Monde.fr |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2019/05/12/six-personnes-tuees-dans-une-eglise-dans-le-nord-du-burkina-faso_5461148_3212.html |access-date=21 December 2021 |archive-date=21 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221211027/https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2019/05/12/six-personnes-tuees-dans-une-eglise-dans-le-nord-du-burkina-faso_5461148_3212.html |url-status=live}}][{{cite web |date=10 November 2022 |title=Terrorism gains ground in Burkina Faso |url=https://acninternational.org/terrorism-gains-ground-in-burkina-faso/ |access-date=21 November 2022 |website=acninternational.org |language=en-US}}]
[[File:Des déplacés peuls sur le site de Barsalogho au petit matin, au Burkina Faso, le 15 janvier 2019.png|thumb|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.[{{cite web |url=https://bf.usembassy.gov/u-s-embassy-ouagadougou-statement-on-human-rights-watch-report-july-8-burkina-faso-allegations-of-extrajudicial-killings/ |title=U.S. Embassy Ouagadougou Statement on Human Rights Watch Report (July 8): Burkina Faso Allegations of Extrajudicial Killings |access-date=8 July 2020 |website=U.S. Embassy in Burkina Faso |date=8 July 2020}}] 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.[Portland Press Herald, 5 June 2021]{{fcn|date=July 2025}}
From 4â5 June 2021, unknown militants [[Solhan and Tadaryat massacres|massacred more than 170 people in the villages of Solhan and Tadaryat]]. Jihadists killed 80 people in [[Gorgadji Department|Gorgadji]] on 20 August.[{{cite web |last=Ouagadougou |first=The Guardian |date=19 August 2021 |title=Jihadist attack in Burkina Faso kills 80 people |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/19/killed-burkina-faso-jihadist-attack |access-date=21 December 2021 |website=theguardian.com |language=en |archive-date=21 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221213423/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/19/killed-burkina-faso-jihadist-attack |url-status=live}}] On 14 November, the [[Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin]] attacked a gendarmerie in [[Inata, Burkina Faso|Inata]], killing 53 soldiers, the heaviest loss of life by the Burkinabe military during the insurgency, and a major [[morale]] loss in the country.[{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/28/burkina-fasos-coup-makers-capitalized-wider-grievances-within-ranks/ |title=Burkina Faso's coup makers capitalized on wider grievances within the ranks |date=28 January 2022 |first=Maggie|last=Dwyer |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |place=Washington, D.C. |issn=0190-8286 |oclc=1330888409}}] 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.[{{cite web |title=Burkina Faso mourns 41 killed in 'insurgent' attack |url=https://www.dw.com/en/burkina-faso-mourns-41-killed-in-insurgent-attack/a-60261256|date=26 December 2021 |access-date=2 February 2022 |website=dw.com |language=en-GB}}]
In 2023, shortly after the murder of a Catholic priest by 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.[{{Cite web |date=10 January 2023 |title=Terrorism increases in Burkina Faso |url=https://acninternational.org/terrorism-increases-in-burkina-faso/ |access-date=26 October 2023 |website=acninternational.org |language=en-US}}]
==== 2022 coups d'Ă©tat ====
{{Main|January 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'Ă©tat|September 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'Ă©tat}}
{{clear}}
[[File:Alliance of Sahel States.svg|thumb|upright=0.8|The [[Alliance of Sahel States]] between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger]]
[[File:Jihadist Insurgency in Burkina Faso.svg|thumb|upright=1.2|A map of the [[Islamist insurgency in Burkina Faso]], November 2024. The government controlled areas of Burkina Faso are in blue]]
In a successful coup on 24 January 2022, mutinying soldiers arrested and deposed President [[Roch Marc Christian Kaboré]] following gunfire.[{{cite news |last1=Ndiaga |first1=Thiam |last2=Mimault |first2=Anne |date=24 January 2022 |title=Burkina Faso President Kabore detained at military camp, security sources say |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/burkina-faso-president-kabore-detained-military-camp-sources-tell-reuters-2022-01-24/ |access-date=24 January 2022}}] The [[Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration]] (MPSR) supported by the military declared itself to be in power,[{{Cite web |title=Lesen Sie zeit.de mit Werbung oder im PUR-Abo. Sie haben die Wahl. |url=https://www.zeit.de/zustimmung?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zeit.de%2Fpolitik%2Fausland%2F2022-01%2Fburkina-faso-militaerputsch-machtuebernahme-soldaten-praesident-kabore |access-date=25 January 2022 |website=zeit.de |archive-date=25 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125014108/https://www.zeit.de/zustimmung?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zeit.de%2Fpolitik%2Fausland%2F2022-01%2Fburkina-faso-militaerputsch-machtuebernahme-soldaten-praesident-kabore }}][{{Cite news |date=24 January 2022 |title=Burkina Faso military says it has seized power |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-60118993 |access-date=25 January 2022}}] led by Lieutenant Colonel [[Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba]].[{{Cite news |date=28 January 2022 |title=Burkina Faso coup: New leader Damiba gives first speech |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-60164531 |access-date=29 January 2022}}] On 31 January, the military junta restored the constitution and appointed Damiba interim president. In the aftermath of the coup, [[Economic Community of West African States|ECOWAS]] and the [[African Union]] suspended Burkina Faso's membership.[{{Cite web |title=ECOWAS suspends Burkina Faso over military coup |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/28/ecowas-suspends-burkina-faso-after-coup |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128173758/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/28/ecowas-suspends-burkina-faso-after-coup |archive-date=28 January 2022 |access-date=28 January 2022 |website=aljazeera.com |language=en}}][{{Cite web |title=AU suspends Burkina Faso after coup as envoys head for talks |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/31/africa-union-suspends-burkina-faso-after-coup-as-envoys-head-for-talks |date=28 January 2022|access-date=31 January 2022 |website=aljazeera.com |language=en}}]
On 10 February, the Constitutional Council declared Damiba president.[{{Cite web |last=AfricaNews |date=10 February 2022 |title=Burkina Faso: Lt Col Damiba declared president by the Constitutional Council |url=https://www.africanews.com/2022/02/10/burkina-faso-lt-col-damiba-declared-president-by-the-constitutional-council/ |access-date=28 March 2022 |website=africanews.com |language=en}}] He was sworn in as president on 16 February.[{{Cite web |last=AfricaNews |date=16 February 2022 |title=Burkina Faso's junta sworn in as president |url=https://www.africanews.com/2022/02/16/burkina-faso-s-junta-sworn-in-as-president/ |access-date=28 March 2022 |website=africanews.com |language=en}}] On 1 March 2022, the junta approved a charter allowing a military-led transition of 3 years.[{{Cite web |title=Burkina Faso approves charter for 3-year transition |url=https://www.dw.com/en/burkina-faso-approves-charter-for-3-year-transition/a-60954556 |date=1 March 2022 |access-date=6 October 2022 |website=deutschewelle.com |language=en-GB}}] The charter provides for the transition process to be followed by the holding of elections.[{{Cite web |title=Burkina Faso approves three-year transition before elections |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/1/three-year-transition-before-elections-approved-in-burkina-faso |access-date=28 March 2022 |website=aljazeera.com |language=en}}] [[Roch Marc Christian Kaboré|President Kaboré]], who had been detained since the military junta took power, was released on 6 April 2022.[{{Cite web |date=6 April 2022 |title=Burkina Faso: l'ex-président Roch Marc Christian Kaboré libéré |url=https://www.rfi.fr/fr/en-bref/20220406-burkina-faso-l-ex-pr%C3%A9sident-roch-marc-christian-kabor%C3%A9-lib%C3%A9r%C3%A9 |access-date=20 April 2022 |website=rfi.fr |language=fr}}]
The insurgency continued following the coup, with about 60% of the country under government control.[{{cite web |title=State controls just 60% of Burkina Faso: ECOWAS mediator |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/18/state-controls-only-60-percent-of-burkina-faso-mediator |access-date=19 June 2022 |website=aljazeera.com |language=en}}] The [[Siege of Djibo]] began in February 2022[{{Cite web |title=Burkina Faso attempts difficult talks with jihadist groups |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/le-monde-africa/article/2022/05/06/burkina-faso-launches-difficult-talks-with-jihadist-groups_5982555_124.html |first=Sophie |last=Douce |website=lemonde.fr |date=6 May 2022 |access-date=2 October 2022}}][{{Cite web |title=Burkina Faso: les populations de Djibo appellent le MPSR de toute urgence, le rĂ©cit d'une ville qui souffre le martyr entre les mains des terroristes |url=https://libreinfo.net/djibo-3/ |first=Inoussa |last=Sankara |website=libreinfo.net |language=French |date=24 February 2022 |access-date=3 October 2022}}] and continued as of June 2023.[{{Cite web |title=Burkina Faso â Escalation of violence and increased fighting (DG ECHO, Burkinabe press release, media) (ECHO Daily Flash of 28 June 2023) |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/burkina-faso-escalation-violence-and-increased-fighting-dg-echo-burkinabe-press-release-media-echo-daily-flash-28-june-2023 |work=ECHO |date=28 June 2023 |access-date=17 July 2023 }}][{{Cite web |title=Burkina: at least 34 soldiers and army auxiliaries killed in an attack |url=https://www.africanews.com/2023/06/28/burkina-at-least-34-soldiers-and-army-auxiliaries-killed-in-an-attack/ |website=africanews.com |date=28 June 2023 |access-date=17 July 2023}}] Between 100 and 165 people [[2022 Seytenga massacre|were killed]] in [[Seytenga Department]], [[SĂ©no Province]] on 12â13 June and around 16,000 people fled their homes.[{{Cite news |date=13 June 2022 |title=Armed men kill at least 100 in Burkina Faso border zone â security source |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/least-100-killed-burkina-faso-attack-over-weekend-sources-2022-06-13/ |access-date=13 June 2022}}][{{cite news |last=Refugees |first=United Nations High Commissioner for |title=UNHCR calls for urgent support to assist almost 16,000 newly displaced in Burkina Faso who fled massacre |url=https://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing/2022/6/62ac2d714/unhcr-calls-urgent-support-assist-16000-newly-displaced-burkina-faso-fled.html |access-date=17 June 2022 |website=unhcr.org |language=en}}] 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".[{{cite web |date=22 June 2022 |title=Burkina Faso to create military zones to fight jihadi rebels |url=https://apnews.com/article/islamic-state-group-ouagadougou-politics-west-africa-bb1e3e3c77cc14fbebde288d2ca207bf|first=Arsene|last=Kabore|author2=Sam Mednick |access-date=23 June 2022 |website=apnews.com |language=en}}][{{Cite news |date=25 June 2022 |title=Burkina Faso gives civilians 14 days to evacuate ahead of military operations |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/burkina-faso-gives-civilians-14-days-evacuate-ahead-military-operations-2022-06-24/ |access-date=25 June 2022}}]
On 30 September 2022, Damiba was ousted in a military coup led by Capt. [[Ibrahim Traoré]].[{{Cite news |date=30 September 2022 |title=Burkina Faso army captain announces overthrow of military government |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/burkina-faso-army-captain-announces-overthrow-military-government-2022-09-30/ |access-date=30 September 2022}}][{{Cite web |last=Ouagadougou |first=Staff and agencies in |date=30 September 2022 |title=Burkina Faso's military leader ousted in second coup this year |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/30/burkina-fasos-military-leader-ousted-in-second-coup-this-year |access-date=30 September 2022 |website=theguardian.com |language=en}}] This came eight months after Damiba had 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.[{{Cite news |last=Wright |first=George |date=30 September 2022 |title=Burkina Faso unrest: Military officers remove leader Damiba |work=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-63098217}}] Damiba resigned and left the country.[{{cite news |last1=Ndiaga |first1=Thiam |last2=Mimault |first2=Anne |title=Burkina Faso president resigns on condition coup leader guarantees his safety |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/burkina-fasos-self-declared-military-leader-says-situation-is-under-control-2022-10-02/ |work=Reuters |date=3 October 2022 |language=en}}] On 6 October 2022, Captain Ibrahim Traoré was officially appointed as president.[{{cite news |title=Traore officially appointed as transitional president of Burkina Faso after coup |url=https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20221006-traore-officially-appointed-as-president-of-burkina-faso-after-coup |work=France 24 |date=6 October 2022 |language=en}}] [[Apollinaire Joachim Kyélem de TambÚla]] was appointed interim Prime Minister on 21 October 2022.[{{Cite web |date=24 October 2022 |title=Com Kyélem de TambÚla, Burkina Faso estå se voltando para a França? |url=https://lejournaldelafrique.com/pt/com-kyelem-de-tambela-o-burkina-faso-se-volta-para-a-fran%C3%A7a/ |access-date=2 December 2022 |website=lejournaldelafrique.com |language=pt |archive-date=26 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026175129/https://lejournaldelafrique.com/pt/com-kyelem-de-tambela-o-burkina-faso-se-volta-para-a-fran%C3%A7a/ }}]
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.[{{cite news |title=Burkina Faso declares a general mobilization in the face of increasing jihadist attacks |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/04/13/burkina-faso-declares-a-general-mobilisation-in-the-face-of-increasing-jihadist-attacks_6022874_4.html |work=Le Monde.fr |date=13 April 2023 |language=en}}] 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.[{{Cite web |last=AfricaNews |date=1 May 2023 |title=Survivors of Karma massacre recount ordeal |url=https://www.africanews.com/2023/05/01/survivors-of-karma-massacre-recount-ordeal/ |access-date=4 June 2023 |website=africanews.com |language=en}}][{{Cite web |title=Au moins 150 civils massacrés dans le nord du Burkina Faso |url=https://www.liberation.fr/international/afrique/au-moins-150-civils-massacres-dans-le-nord-du-burkina-20230423_LG4TT2XLW5ETZO6OGH3I36JPKM/|first=AgnÚs |last=Faivre|date=24 April 2023 |access-date=4 June 2023 |website=libération.fr |language=fr}}][{{cite web |title=Burkina Faso: Army Linked to Massacre of 156 Civilians |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/05/04/burkina-faso-army-linked-massacre-156-civilians |website=hrw.org |date=4 May 2023 |access-date=5 May 2023}}][{{cite web |title=Burkina Faso: Killing of Civilians |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2023/04/burkina-faso-killing-civilians |website=ohchr.org |access-date=29 April 2023}}]
On 25 August 2024, [[Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin|JNIM]] again launched [[2024 Barsalogho attack|a major attack]] in the region of [[Barsalogho Department|Barsalogho]], killing at least 400 people.[{{Cite news |title=Suspected jihadists kill hundreds in Burkina Faso attack |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/suspected-jihadists-kill-hundreds-burkina-faso-attack-2024-08-27/ |publisher=[[Reuters]] |last=Christensen |first=Sofia |date=27 August 2024 |access-date=5 September 2024}}]
In 2025, the armed forces foiled an attempted coup, which they said had been planned by plotters based in the [[Ivory Coast]]. Thousands rallied in Ouagadougou in support of the military government after the foiled coup plot.[{{Cite web |date=30 April 2025 |title=Thousands rally in Burkina Faso in support of military junta following alleged coup attempt |url=https://apnews.com/article/burkina-faso-protest-ibrahim-traore-coup-attempt-langley-9c2b167d2516c1fcbe5a3acd558bcc9f |access-date=9 May 2025 |website=AP News |language=en}}] In May, reports of a digital [[cult]] around TraorĂ© began to surface.[{{Cite web |last=Bojang Jnr |first=Sheriff |date=2025-05-07 |title=Ibrahim TraorĂ©: Inside the digital cult glorifying Burkina Faso's military leader |url=https://www.theafricareport.com/383198/ibrahim-traore-inside-the-digital-cult-glorifying-burkina-fasos-military-leader/ |access-date=2025-09-30 |website=The Africa Report.com |language=en}}][{{Cite web |last=Adeoye |first=Aanu |date=2025-05-22 |title='The cult of Saint TraorĂ©': how a Russia-backed junta leader became an icon |url=https://www.ft.com/content/a6fc98ac-aa6b-428a-9d63-e4e741524ed6 |access-date=2025-09-30 |website=www.[[ft.com]]}}][{{Cite web |last=Pham |first=Quang |date=2025-05-30 |title=Hundreds of deepfake music videos are celebrating the president of Burkina Faso⊠why? |url=https://observers.france24.com/en/africa/20250530-deepfake-music-videos-burkina-faso-ibrahim-traore-beyonce |access-date=2025-09-30 |website=The Observers â [[France 24]] |language=en}}]
==Geography==
{{main|Geography of Burkina Faso}}
[[File:Burkina sat.png|thumb|Satellite image of Burkina Faso]]
[[File:Burkina Faso Map.jpg|upright=1.5|thumb|Map of Burkina Faso]]
Burkina Faso lies mostly between latitudes [[9th parallel north|9°]] and [[15th parallel north|15° N]] (a small area is north of 15°), and longitudes [[6th meridian west|6° W]] and [[3rd meridian east|3° E]].{{cn|date=February 2026}}
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, [[TĂ©nakourou]], is found at an elevation of {{convert|749|m|ft|0|sp=us}}. The massif is bordered by sheer cliffs up to {{convert|150|m|ft|0|abbr=on|sp=us}} high. The average altitude of Burkina Faso is {{convert|400|m|ft|0|abbr=on|sp=us}} and the difference between the highest and lowest terrain is no greater than {{convert|600|m|ft|0|abbr=on|sp=us}}.{{cn|date=February 2026}}
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 River|Komoé]], which flows to the southwest. The basin of the [[Niger River]] also [[drainage basin|drains]] 27% of the country's surface.{{cn|date=February 2026}}
The Niger's [[tributary|tributaries]] â the BĂ©li, Gorouol, GoudĂ©bo, and Dargol â are [[Torrent (stream)|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 â the principal ones are Tingrela, [[Lake Bam|Bam]], and Dem. The country contains large ponds, as well, such as Oursi, BĂ©li, Yomboli, and Markoye. [[Drought|Water shortages]] are often a problem, especially in the north of the country.{{cn|date=February 2026}}
[[File:WP 35, SDr9776.JPG|right|thumb|[[Savanna]]h near the [[Gbomblora Department]], on the road from [[Gaoua]] to [[Batié, Burkina Faso|Batié]]]]
Burkina Faso lies within two terrestrial ecoregions: [[Sahelian Acacia savanna]] and [[West Sudanian savanna]].[{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=KierĂĄn|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=JosĂ© C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-FarpĂłn|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=LillesĂž|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534â545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287|doi-access=free}}]
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 [[State ownership|public ownership]].[{{Cite book |url=https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/a6e225da-4a31-4e06-818d-ca3aeadfd635/content |title=Terms and Definitions FRA 2025 Forest Resources Assessment, Working Paper 194 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |year=2023}}][{{Cite web |title=Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020, Burkina Faso |url=https://fra-data.fao.org/assessments/fra/2020/BFA/home/overview |website=Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations}}]
===Climate===
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map BFA present.svg|thumb|Map of [[Köppen climate classification]]]]
Burkina Faso has a primarily tropical climate with two very distinct seasons. In the rainy season, the country receives between {{convert|600|and|900|mm|in|0|abbr=on|sp=us}} of rainfall; in the dry season, the [[harmattan]] â a hot dry wind from the Sahara â 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 {{convert|600|mm|in|0|abbr=on|sp=us}}[{{cite web|url=http://www.sim.org/country.asp?fun=1&CID=18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080309142111/http://www.sim.org/country.asp?CID=18&fun=1|archive-date=9 March 2008|title=SIM Country Profile: Burkina Faso|access-date=5 August 2006}}] of rainfall per year and has high temperatures, {{convert|5|â|47|°C|°F|0|lk=on}}.
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 (region)|Sudan]] to the south. Situated between 11° 3âČ and 13° 5âČ 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 {{convert|900|mm|in|0|abbr=on|sp=us}}[ of rain each year and has cooler average temperatures.{{cn|date=February 2026}}
[[File:Wreckage of a dam (Dourtenga, 2008).jpg|thumb|Damage caused by the Dourtenga floods in 2007]]
Geography and environment contribute to Burkina Faso's food insecurity.][{{Cite journal|title = Agroclimatic Shock, Income Inequality, and Poverty: Evidence from Burkina Faso|last = Reardon|first = Thomas|year = 1996|journal = World Development|doi = 10.1016/0305-750x(96)00009-5|volume=24|issue = 5|pages=901â914 | bibcode=1996WoDev..24..901R }}] 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.[{{Cite journal|title = Cultural barriers to climate change adaptation: A case study from Northern Burkina Faso|last = Ostergaard Nielsen|first = Jonas|date = February 2010|journal = Global Environmental Change|doi = 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2009.10.002|volume=20| issue=1 |pages=142â152| bibcode=2010GEC....20..142N }}] The unpredictable climatic shocks can make it very difficult for Burkina Faso citizens to rely on and prosper from agriculture.[{{Cite journal|title = Human Vulnerability to Climate Variability in the Sahel: Farmers' Adaptation Strategies in Northern Burkina Faso|author = Barbier|year = 2009|journal = Environmental Management|doi = 10.1007/s00267-008-9237-9|pmid = 19037691|display-authors=etal|volume=43|issue = 5|pages=790â803|bibcode = 2009EnMan..43..790B|s2cid = 9634833}}]
Burkina Faso's climate also renders its crops vulnerable to insect attacks, including attacks from [[locust]]s and [[Cricket (insect)|crickets]], which destroy crops and further inhibit food production.[{{cite journal|last1 = Groten|first1 = S. M. E.|year = 1993|title = NDVIâcrop monitoring and early yield assessment of Burkina Faso|journal = International Journal of Remote Sensing|volume = 14|issue = 8|pages = 1495â1515|doi=10.1080/01431169308953983|bibcode = 1993IJRS...14.1495G }}] 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.[{{Cite journal|title = The costs and risks of coping with drought: livelihood impacts and farmers' responses in Burkina Faso |author=Carla Roncoli |author2=Keith Ingram |author3=Paul Kirshen|year = 2001|journal = Climate Research|doi = 10.3354/cr019119 |doi-access=free |volume = 19|pages = 119â132|bibcode = 2001ClRes..19..119R}}] and often have to travel outside of their regional zone to find work.[{{Cite journal|title = Coping with household-level food insecurity in drought-affected areas of Burkina Faso|issue = 9|pages = 1065â1074|journal = World Development|volume = 16|doi = 10.1016/0305-750X(88)90109-X|date = September 1988|last1 = Reardon|first1 = Thomas|last2 = Matlon|first2 = Peter|last3 = Delgado|first3 = Christopher|bibcode = 1988WoDev..16.1065R|url = https://oar.icrisat.org/7395/1/WorldDev_16_9_1065-1074_1988.pdf}}]
=== Natural resources ===
[[Natural resources of Burkina Faso|Burkina Faso's natural resources]] include [[gold]], [[manganese]], [[limestone]], [[marble]], [[phosphate]]s, [[pumice]], and [[Salt mining|salt]].
===Wildlife===
{{Further|Wildlife of Burkina Faso}}
Burkina Faso has a larger number of [[elephant]]s than many countries in West Africa. Lions, leopards and buffalo can also be found here, including the [[African forest buffalo|dwarf or red buffalo]]. Other large predators live in Burkina Faso, such as the cheetah, the caracal or African lynx, the spotted hyena and the African painted dog, one of the continent's most endangered species.[{{cite web |url=http://www.our-africa.org/burkina-faso/geography-wildlife?ref=nf |title=Geography & Wildlife |work=www.our-africa.org |access-date=15 October 2014 |archive-date=3 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150903210757/http://www.our-africa.org/burkina-faso/geography-wildlife?ref=nf }}. our-africa.org]
Burkina Faso's [[Wildlife in Burkina Faso|fauna and flora]] are protected in four national parks:{{cn|date=February 2026}}
* The [[W National Park]] in the east, other sections of which are located in [[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==
{{main|Politics of Burkina Faso}}
[[File:Assemblee Nationale Burkina Faso.jpg|thumb|The [[National Assembly of Burkina Faso|National Assembly]] building in downtown [[Ouagadougou]]]]
The [[Constitution of Burkina Faso|constitution]] of 2 June 1991 established a [[Semi-presidential system|semi-presidential government]]: its parliament could be dissolved by the [[President of Burkina Faso|President of the Republic]], who was to be [[Elections in Burkina Faso|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 [[unicameralism|one chamber]] known as the [[National Assembly (Burkina Faso)|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 [[bicameralism|bicameral]] parliament, but the upper house (Chamber of Representatives) was abolished in 2002.
The Compaoré administration had worked to [[Decentralization#Government decentralization|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.[{{cite web|title=Failure Likely|author=Tiendrebeongo, Aristide|publisher=dandc.eu|date=March 2013|url=https://www.dandc.eu/en/article/decentralisation-burkina-faso-coming-against-obstacles-because-local-people-are-distrustful}}]
[[Political freedom]]s are severely restricted in Burkina Faso. [[Political freedom|Human rights organizations]] had criticised the Compaoré administration for numerous acts of state-sponsored violence against journalists and other politically active members of society.[{{Cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/2017/01/africa-human-rights-court-limits-justice-170107092107153.html|title=Africa's human rights court and the limits of justice|publisher=Al Jazeera|access-date=27 October 2017|archive-date=27 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171027232853/http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/2017/01/africa-human-rights-court-limits-justice-170107092107153.html}}][{{Cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/252867.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/252867.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live|title=Burkina Faso 2015 Human Rights Report|access-date=3 June 2018|year=2015|publisher=[[United States Department of State]]}}]
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.[{{Cite web| url=https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2018/burkina-faso| title=Burkina Faso| date=4 January 2018| access-date=6 January 2019| archive-date=7 January 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107072317/https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2018/burkina-faso}}]
=== Constitution ===
{{Main|Constitution of Burkina Faso}}
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.[{{cite web|url=http://apanews.net/en/news/burkina-faso-referendum-new-constitutional-set-for-march-2019|website=Danube Travel|date=28 August 2018|title=Burkina Faso: Referendum on new constitution set for March 2019|access-date=6 January 2019|archive-date=7 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107015849/http://apanews.net/en/news/burkina-faso-referendum-new-constitutional-set-for-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.[{{Cite web | url=https://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20180827-burkina-faso-le-referendum-constitutionnel-prevu-le-24-mars-2019 | title=Burkina Faso: Le rĂ©fĂ©rendum constitutionnel prĂ©vu le 24 mars 2019 â Radio France Internationale| date=27 August 2018}}]
Following the [[January 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'Ă©tat|January 2022 coup d'Ă©tat]], the military dissolved the parliament, government and constitution.[{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-60118993|title=Burkina Faso military says it has seized power|work=BBC News|date=24 January 2022|access-date=24 January 2022|language=en-GB}}] On 31 January, the military junta restored the constitution,[{{cite web|title=Burkina Faso restores constitution, names coup leader president|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/31/burkina-faso-restores-constitution-names-coup-leader-president|work=Al Jazeera|date=31 January 2022|access-date=31 January 2022|language=en}}] but it was suspended again following the [[September 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'Ă©tat|September 2022 coup d'Ă©tat]].[{{Cite web |date=30 September 2022 |title=Burkina: des militaires annoncent la dissolution du gouvernement, le capitaine Ibrahim TraorĂ© prend la tĂȘte du pays |url=https://www.rfi.fr/fr/en-bref/20220930-burkina-faso-des-militaires-annoncent-la-dissolution-du-gouvernement-et-la-fermeture-des-fronti%C3%A8res |access-date=30 September 2022 |publisher=Radio France Internationale |language=fr |archive-date=1 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001221352/https://www.rfi.fr/fr/en-bref/20220930-burkina-faso-des-militaires-annoncent-la-dissolution-du-gouvernement-et-la-fermeture-des-fronti%C3%A8res |url-status=live }}]
The [[Progressive and Popular Revolution]] has led to increased scepticism that the constitution will ever be restored in its old form.
===Administrative divisions===
{{main|Regions of Burkina Faso|Provinces of Burkina Faso|Departments of Burkina Faso}}
The country is divided into [[Regions of Burkina Faso|13 administrative regions]]. These regions encompass [[Provinces of Burkina Faso|45 provinces]] and [[Departments of Burkina Faso|301 departments]]. Each region is administered by a governor.
===Foreign relations===
{{Main|Foreign relations of Burkina Faso}}
Burkina Faso is a member of the [[Community of SahelâSaharan States]], the [[Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]], and United Nations. It formally withdrew from [[ECOWAS]] and [[La Francophonie]] in 2025, following its suspension by both organisations in 2022 over the military coup.[{{Cite news |date=29 January 2025 |title=Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso formally leave ECOWAS |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/01/29/niger-mali-and-burkina-faso-formally-leave-ecowas_6737542_4.html |access-date=23 August 2026 |work=[[Le Monde]] |language=en |issn=1950-6244}}][{{Cite web |date=20 March 2025 |title=Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso withdraw from French language body |url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20250320-mali-niger-and-burkina-faso-quit-international-francophone-organisation |access-date=23 August 2026 |website=[[Radio France Internationale]] (RFI) |language=en}}] In addition, Burkina Faso remains suspended from the [[African Union]].[{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=31 January 2022 |title=African Union Suspends Burkina Faso in Response to Coup |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/african-union-suspends-burkina-faso-in-response-to-coup/6419891.html |access-date=23 August 2026 |website=[[Voice of America]] (VOA) |language=en}}] 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".
===Military===
{{main|Military of Burkina Faso}}
The [[Army of Burkina Faso|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.[{{Cite web|last=Online|first=Peace FM|title=Coup Underway In Burkina Faso, President Detained By Military|url=https://www.peacefmonline.com/pages/politics/politics/202201/459323.php|access-date=24 January 2022|website=Peacefmonline.com â Ghana news|archive-date=27 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127014401/https://www.peacefmonline.com/pages/politics/politics/202201/459323.php}}]
In terms of training and equipment, the regular Army is believed to be neglected in relation to the elite [[Presidential Security Regiment|Regiment of Presidential Security]] ({{langx|fr|link=no|RĂ©giment de la SĂ©curitĂ© PrĂ©sidentielle}} â RSP). Reports have emerged in recent years of disputes over pay and conditions.[''[https://web.archive.org/web/20100827071950/http://www.janes.com/articles/Janes-Sentinel-Security-Assessment-West-Africa/Army-Burkina-Faso.html Jane's Sentinel Security Assessment â West Africa]'', 15 April 2009] 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===
{{main|Law enforcement in Burkina Faso}}
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.[Das, Dilip K. and Palmiotto, Michael J. (2005) ''World Police Encyclopedia'', Routledge, {{ISBN|0-415-94250-0}}. pp. 139â141]
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.[U.S. Dept. of State, [https://web.archive.org/web/20131114034455/http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1075.html Burkina Faso: Country Specific Information]][Foreign and Commonwealth Office,{{cite web|url=http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-living-overseas/travel-advice-by-country/sub-saharan-africa/burkina-faso|title=Sub-Saharan Africa: Burkina Faso|access-date=13 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090827125629/http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-living-overseas/travel-advice-by-country/sub-saharan-africa/burkina-faso|archive-date=27 August 2009 }} . Government of the United Kingdom]
==Economy==
{{main|Economy of Burkina Faso}}
[[File:GDP per capita development of Burkina Faso.svg|thumb|GDP per capita in Burkina Faso, since 1950]]
[[File:Essakane Mill in Burkina Faso.jpg|thumb|Processing facilities at the Essakane Mine in Burkina Faso]]
[[File:Grand marché de Koudougou.jpg|thumb|The ''Grand marché'' in [[Koudougou]], Burkina Faso]]
[[File:Sudanese Style Railway Station Bobo Dioulasso Burkina Faso.jpg|thumb|The railway station in [[Bobo Dioulasso]] was built during the colonial era and remains in operation.]]
Burkina Faso remains one of the least developed countries in the world, with an economy based primarily on subsistence farming and livestock raising. The country has an average income purchasing-power-parity per capita of $2,980 and nominal per capita of $1,110 in 2025. More than 80% of the population relies on subsistence agriculture, with only a small fraction directly involved in industry and services. A large part of the economic activity of the country is funded by international aid, despite having gold ores in abundance.
===Economic overview===
Burkina Faso's economy showed signs of recovery in recent years. According to the World Bank, the economy grew by 4.9% in 2024 compared to 3.0% in 2023. Real per capita GDP growth also increased from 0.7% to 2.5% over the same period. This acceleration was attributed mainly to the performance of services and agriculture, supported by an improved security situation, favorable weather conditions, and increased government support to the agriculture sector.
However, inflation increased in 2024 to 4.2% from 0.7% in 2023, driven by spikes in food prices caused by market speculation linked to a late start to the rainy season. Despite this, the strong growth in the agriculture and services sectors in 2024 reduced the extreme poverty rate by 3 points to 23.2%, with a sharper decline in rural areas. Nevertheless, the absolute number of people living in poverty remains high, exceeding 5.5 million.
The country faces significant economic challenges, including highly variable rainfall patterns, poor soils, lack of adequate communications and other infrastructure, low literacy rate, high population density with few natural resources, and fragile soil conditions.
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right;"
|+ Key economic indicators for Burkina Faso[{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2025 |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2025/april |publisher=International Monetary Fund |access-date=31 August 2025}}][{{cite web |title=Burkina Faso Economic Update |url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/burkinafaso/publication/economic-update |publisher=World Bank |date=April 2025 |access-date=31 August 2025}}]
|-
! Indicator
! 2023
! 2024
! 2025 (est.)
|-
| GDP (nominal, billions USD)
| 19.59
| 23.98
| 27.06
|-
| GDP (PPP, billions Intl$.)
| 59.58
| 67.99
| 72.82
|-
| GDP per capita (nominal, USD)
| 863
| 1,005
| 1,110
|-
| GDP per capita (PPP, Intl$.)
| 2,628
| 2,851
| 2,980
|-
| GDP growth (%)
| 3.0
| 4.9
| 4.3
|-
| Inflation rate (%)
| 0.7
| 4.2
| -
|-
| Population below poverty line (%)
| 26.2
| 23.2
| -
|}
===Agriculture===
Agriculture represents approximately 32% of Burkina Faso's gross domestic product and occupies 80% of the working population. It consists mostly of rearing livestock, especially in the south and southwest, where people grow crops of [[sorghum]], [[pearl millet]], maize (corn), peanuts, rice and cotton, with surpluses to be sold. Cotton is the main cash crop.
===Mining===
{{main|Mining in Burkina Faso}}
There is mining of [[copper]], [[iron]], [[manganese]], [[gold]], [[cassiterite]] (tin ore), and phosphates.[{{cite web |url=http://www.inadev.org/profile_-_burkina_faso.htm |title=Profile â Burkina Faso |work=www.inadev.org |access-date=7 May 2023 |archive-date=26 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426083538/http://www.inadev.org/profile_-_burkina_faso.htm }}. Inadev.org. Retrieved 5 April 2014.] 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.[{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/iamgolds-growing-investment-in-burkina-faso/article4103071/|location=Toronto|work=The Globe and Mail|title=Iamgold's growing investment in Burkina Faso|last=York |first= Jeoffrey|date=15 April 2012}}]
Gold accounts for roughly 70% of Burkina Faso's export earnings. With production of 66.9 tons valued at $7.18 billion, gold accounted for an estimated 16% of Burkina Faso's gross domestic product in 2023. However, since then, gold production has declined dramatically owing to growing insecurity, which has led to the closure of 7 out of the country's 17 industrial mines (Inata, Taparko, Karma, Boungou, Youga, NĂ©tiana, Yaramoko). The junta has also nationalized five mines. Industrial gold production has subsequently dropped by 20% to 53.4 tons.
Zabsone et al. (2020) show find that gold extraction increases household expenditures and reduces poverty rates in producing municipalities. Nevertheless, it also increased inequality and child labor.[{{cite journal |last1=ZabsonrĂ© |first1=AgnĂšs |last2=Agbo |first2=Maxime |last3=SomĂ© |first3=Juste |title=Gold exploitation and socioeconomic outcomes: The case of Burkina Faso |journal=World Development |date=September 2018 |volume=109 |pages=206â221 |doi=10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.04.021 }}]
===External trade===
The value of Burkina Faso's exports fell from $2.77 billion in 2011 to $754 million in 2012.[{{cite web|url=http://atlas.media.mit.edu/explore|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029104824/http://atlas.media.mit.edu/explore|archive-date=29 October 2012|title=OEC: Products exported by Bulgaria (2012)|work=The Observatory of Economic Complexity|access-date=30 October 2014 }}]
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%).[{{Cite web | url=https://www.worldstopexports.com/burkina-fasos-top-10-exports/ | title=Burkina Faso's Top 10 Exports| date=17 January 2019}}]
In 2023, exports totaled $5.87 billion while imports were $7.31 billion, resulting in a trade deficit. The current account deficit improved from 8.0% of GDP in 2023 to 6.4% in 2024, due to the rise in gold prices which boosted the value of exports.
===Economic challenges and outlook===
The economic outlook for Burkina Faso remains subject to multiple significant risks. The fragile security situation continues to threaten economic gains, with ongoing instability potentially disrupting key sectors. Climate shocks, particularly irregular rainfall patterns, persistently affect agricultural production and food security. Debt refinancing presents substantial challenges, requiring careful management of the country's financial obligations. The financial sector remains vulnerable due to banks' overexposure to the cotton sector, creating systemic risks. Foreign investment has declined precipitously since the military coup, with FDI inflows dropping from $670 million in 2022 to $83 million in 2024, severely limiting capital for development projects.[{{cite web |title=World Bank Recommendations for Burkina Faso |url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/burkinafaso/overview |publisher=World Bank |date=March 2025 |access-date=31 August 2025}}]
===Infrastructure===
====Water management====
The National Office for Water and Sanitation (ONEA), a [[state-owned]] [[utility company]] operated along commercial lines. A 2011 report by Overseas Development instittute found that ONEA's operational and financial performance had improved substantially and described it as "closing the gap" with the best performing utilities in Africa.[Peter Newborne 2011. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120526073427/http://www.odi.org.uk/work/regions-countries/details.asp?id=222&title=burkina-faso ''Pipes and People: Progress in Water Supply in Burkina Faso's Cities''], London: Overseas Development Institute] The report cited increased autonomy, improved staff productivity, reduced water losses, improved financial reporting, and increased revenue among the factors accompanying its improved performance.[
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 [[Water infrastructure|infrastructure]] high (less than 18% of the water is lost through leaks â 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.][{{cite web|url=https://www.unicef.org/bfa/english/bfa_wsh_programme-overview2016.pdf|website=UNICEF|access-date=1 May 2018|title=Burkina Faso: Programme Overview: Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH)|archive-date=3 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503041104/https://www.unicef.org/bfa/english/bfa_wsh_programme-overview2016.pdf}}]
====Energy====
Access to electricity remains limited in Burkina Faso, with a rate well below the regional average. This situation constitutes a major obstacle to inclusive growth and reduces economic opportunities for a large part of the population, particularly in rural areas.
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.[{{cite news|author=|title=Burkina Faso launches Sahel region's largest solar power plant|url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/development-policy/news/burkina-faso-launches-sahel-regions-largest-solar-power-plant/|work=EURACTIV|date=27 November 2017|access-date=6 March 2018 }}]
====Transport====
{{main|Transport in Burkina Faso}}
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 [[Port Bouet Airport|Abidjan]].
[[Rail transport in Burkina Faso]] consists of a single line which runs from [[Kaya, Burkina Faso|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.[European Rail Timetable, Summer 2014 Edition]
There are 15,000 kilometres of roads in Burkina Faso, of which 2,500 kilometres are paved.[{{cite web|title=Burkina Faso Road Network|url=https://dlca.logcluster.org/display/public/DLCA/2.3+Burkina+Faso+Road+Network|website=Logistics Capacity Assessments (LCAs)|access-date=4 August 2018|archive-date=5 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180805203137/https://dlca.logcluster.org/display/public/DLCA/2.3+Burkina+Faso+Road+Network}}]
===Science and technology===
{{Main|Science and technology in Burkina Faso}}
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.[{{Cite book|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002354/235406e.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002354/235406e.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live|title=UNESCO Science Report: towards 2030|publisher=UNESCO|year=2015|isbn=978-92-3-100129-1|pages=472â497}}]
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.[{{Cite web |title=GII Innovation Ecosystems & Data Explorer 2025 |url=https://www.wipo.int/gii-ranking/en/burkina-faso |access-date=2025-10-16 |website=WIPO}}][{{Cite book |last1=Dutta |first1=Soumitra |url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2025/en/index.html |title=Global Innovation Index 2025: Innovation at a Crossroads |last2=Lanvin |first2=Bruno |publisher=[[World Intellectual Property Organization]] |year=2025 |isbn=978-92-805-3797-0 |page=19 |language=en |doi=10.34667/tind.58864 |access-date=2025-10-17}}]
===International relations===
Burkina Faso is part of the [[West African Monetary and Economic Union]] (UMEOA) and has adopted the [[West African CFA franc|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).[{{cite web
|url=http://www.mfw4a.org/burkina-faso/burkina-faso-financial-sector-profile.html
|title=Burkina Faso Financial Sector Profile
|access-date=11 June 2015
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141210114640/https://www.mfw4a.org/burkina-faso/burkina-faso-financial-sector-profile.html
|archive-date=10 December 2014 }}, MFW4A]
Burkina Faso is a member of the [[Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa]] (OHADA).[{{cite web|title=OHADA.com: The business law portal in Africa|url=http://www.ohada.com/index.php|access-date=22 March 2009}}] The country also belongs to the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.[{{Cite web | url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2834.htm | title=Burkina Faso |work=2009-2017.state.gov}}]
In January 2024, Burkina Faso announced its exit from ECOWAS and the African Union after helping form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
==Demographics==
{{main|Demographics of Burkina Faso}}
[[File:Ouagadougou (3839513403).jpg|thumb|upright|A BurkinabĂš [[Tuareg people|Tuareg]] man in [[Ouagadougou]]]]
{|class="wikitable" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px"
! colspan="4" style="text-align:center; background:#cfb;"|Population{{UN_Population|ref}}
|-
! style="background:#cfb;"|Year
! style="background:#cfb;"|Million
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|1950||style="text-align:right;"|4.3
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|2000||style="text-align:right;"|11.6
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{UN_Population|Year}}||style="text-align:right;"|{{#expr:{{formatnum:{{UN_Population|Burkina Faso}}|R}}/1e6 round 1}}
|}
Burkina Faso is an ethnically integrated, secular state where most people are concentrated in the south and centre, where their density sometimes exceeds {{convert|48|PD/km2}}. Hundreds of thousands of BurkinabĂš 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 BurkinabĂš returned to Burkina Faso. The regional economy suffered when they were unable to work.[
[[File:Chiefburkina.jpg|thumb|left|[[Mossi people]] in [[Dourtenga Department]]]]
The [[total fertility rate]] of Burkina Faso was estimated to be 4.02 children born per woman in 2024, the 23rd highest in the world.][{{Cite web |url=http://gvnet.com/humantrafficking/BurkinaFaso-2.htm |title=Country Narrative â Burkina Faso |website=gvnet.com}}] Slavery in the [[Sahel]] states in general, is an entrenched institution with a long history that dates back to the [[trans-Saharan slave trade]].[[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7693397.stm "West Africa slavery still widespread]". BBC News. 27 October 2008.] In 2018, an estimated 82,000 people in the country were living under "modern slavery" according to the Global Slavery Index.[{{Cite web | url=https://www.globalslaveryindex.org/2018/data/country-data/burkina-faso/ | title=Country Data |website=www.globalslaveryindex.org}}]
{{Largest cities
| country = Burkina Faso
| stat_ref = According to the 2019 Census[{{Cite web|url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/burkinafaso/cities/|title=Burkina Faso: Regions, Cities & Urban Localities â Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information|website=www.citypopulation.de}}]
| list_by_pop =
| div_name = Region
| div_link =
| city_1 = Ouagadougou
| div_1 = Centre Region (Burkina Faso){{!}}Centre
| pop_1 = 2,415,266
| city_2 = Bobo-Dioulasso
| div_2 = Hauts-Bassins
| pop_2 = 904,920
| city_3 = Koudougou
| div_3 = Centre-Ouest
| pop_3 = 160,239
| city_4 = Saaba
| div_4 = Centre Region (Burkina Faso){{!}}Centre
| pop_4 = 136,011
| city_5 = Ouahigouya
| div_5 = Nord Region (Burkina Faso){{!}}Nord
| pop_5 = 124,587
| city_6 = Kaya, Burkina Faso{{!}}Kaya
| div_6 = Centre-Nord
| pop_6 = 121,970
| city_7 = Banfora
| div_7 = Cascades Region{{!}}Cascades
| pop_7 = 117,452
| city_8 = Pouytenga
| div_8 = Centre-Est Region{{!}}Centre-Est
| pop_8 = 96,469
| city_9 = Houndé
| div_9 = Hauts-Bassins
| pop_9 = 87,151
| city_10 = Fada N'gourma
| div_10 = Est Region (Burkina Faso){{!}}Est
| pop_10 = 73,200
}}
===Ethnic groups===
{{Main|Ethnic groups in Burkina Faso}}
Burkina Faso's 23 million people belong to two major West African ethnic cultural groups: the [[Gur languages|Voltaic]] and the [[Mandé peoples|Mandé]] (whose common language is [[Dioula language|Dioula]]). The Voltaic [[Mossi people|Mossi]] make up about one-half of the population. The Mossi claim descent from warriors who migrated to present-day Burkina Faso from [[Northern Region (Ghana)|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.[{{citation-attribution|1=[https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2834.htm "Burkina Faso"], U.S. Department of State, June 2008.}}] There are approximately 5,000 Europeans.[{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/burkinafaso/6083.htm|title=Burkina Faso (03/98)}}]
===Languages===
{{bar box
|title=Native Languages in Burkina Faso
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Languages
|right1=percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|Mooré|darkgreen|40.5}}
{{bar percent|Fula|purple|9.3}}
{{bar percent|Gourmanche|red|6.1}}
{{bar percent|Bambara|black|4.9}}
{{bar percent|Bissa|orange|3.2}}
{{bar percent|Bwamu|green|2.1}}
{{bar percent|Dagara|darkblue|2}}
{{bar percent|San|black|1.9}}
{{bar percent|Lobiri|darkred|1.8}}
{{bar percent|Lyele|gray|1.7}}
{{bar percent|Bobo|tan|1.4}}
{{bar percent|Senoufo|lime|1.4}}
{{bar percent|Nuni|violet|1.2}}
{{bar percent|Dafing|darkblue|1.1}}
{{bar percent|Tamasheq|yellow|1}}
{{bar percent|Kassem|brown|0.7}}
{{bar percent|Gouin|darkbrown|0.4}}
{{bar percent|Dogon|amber|0.3}}
{{bar percent|Songhai|bronze|0.3}}
{{bar percent|Gourounsi|corn|0.3}}
{{bar percent|Ko|maroon|0.1}}
{{bar percent|Koussasse|charcoal|0.1}}
{{bar percent|Sembla|wheat|0.1}}
{{bar percent|Siamou|crimson|0.1}}
{{bar percent|Other National|khaki|5}}
{{bar percent|Other African|Magenta|0.2}}
{{bar percent|French|cyan|1.3}}
{{bar percent|Other non-indigenous|olive|0.1}}
}}
{{Further|Languages of Burkina Faso}}
Burkina Faso is a [[multilingual]] country. The [[working language]]s are [[French language|French]], which was introduced during the colonial period, and [[English language|English]].[{{cite web |url=https://constitutionnet.org/news/voices/burkina-faso%E2%80%99s-constitutional-reforms-disputed-legitimacy|title=Burkina Faso's Constitutional Reforms: Disputed Legitimacy Versus Decided Legality|work=ConstitutionNet |date=29 March 2024 |access-date=9 August 2024}}] Altogether, an estimated 69 languages are spoken in the country,[[http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=BF Lewis, M. Paul (ed.), 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International.] (Page on "Languages of Burkina Faso.")] of which about 60 languages are [[indigenous language|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 [[MoorĂ©]] by 40.5% of the population, [[Fula language|Fula]] by 9.3%, [[GourmanchĂ© language|GourmanchĂ©]] by 6.1%, [[Bambara language|Bambara]] by 4.9%, [[Bissa language|Bissa]] by 3.2%, [[Bwamu language|Bwamu]] by 2.1%, [[Dagara language|Dagara]] by 2%, [[Samo language (Burkina)|San]] by 1.9%, [[Lobiri language|Lobiri]] with 1.8%, [[LyĂ©lĂ© language|LyĂ©lĂ©]] with 1.7%, [[Bobo language|Bobo]] and [[SĂ©noufo language|SĂ©noufo]] with 1.4% each, [[Nuni language|Nuni]] by 1.2%, [[Dafing language|Dafing]] by 1.1%, [[Tamasheq language|Tamasheq]] by 1%, [[Kasena language|Kassem]] by 0.7%, [[Gouin language|Gouin]] by 0.4%, [[Dogon language|Dogon]], [[Songhai language|Songhai]], and [[Gourounsi language|Gourounsi]] by 0.3% each, Ko, [[KoussassĂ© language|KoussassĂ©]], [[Sembla language|Sembla]], and [[Siamou language|Siamou]] by 0.1% each, other national languages by 5%, other African languages by 0.2%, French (an official language at the time) by 1.3%, and other non-indigenous languages by 0.1%.[{{cite web |url=http://www.insd.bf/n/contenu/enquetes-recensements/rgph_bf/themes_en_demographie/Theme2-Etat_et_structure_de_la_population.pdf |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20131113161626/http://www.insd.bf/n/contenu/enquetes-recensements/rgph_bf/themes_en_demographie/Theme2-Etat_et_structure_de_la_population.pdf |archive-date=13 November 2013 |title=Recensement General de la Population et de L'Habitation (RGPH) de 2006. Analyse des Resultats Definitifs. Theme 2: Etat et Structure de la Population |first1=Mathieu |last1=Ouedraogo |first2=Toubou |last2=Ripama |publisher=MinistĂšre de L'Ăconomie et des Finances, Burkina Faso}}]
In the west, [[Mande languages|Mandé languages]] are widely spoken, the most predominant being [[Dyula language|Dyula]] (also known as Jula or Dioula), others including [[Bobo language|Bobo]], [[Samo language (Burkina)|Samo]], and [[Marka language|Marka]]. [[Fula language|Fula]] is widespread, particularly in the north. [[Gourmanché language|Gourmanché]] is spoken in the east, while [[Bissa language|Bissa]] is spoken in the south.
===Religion===
{{main|Religion in Burkina Faso}}
[[File:Moschee von Bobo-Dioulasso.jpg|thumb|left|[[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,[[https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010/148665.htm International Religious Freedom Report 2010: Burkina Faso]. United States [[Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor]] (17 November 2010). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the [[public domain]].''] while a small minority adheres to [[Shia Islam]].[[http://www.pewforum.org/files/2009/10/Shiarange.pdf Mapping the Global Muslim Population. Estimate Range of Shia by Country] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161215111357/http://www.pewforum.org/files/2009/10/Shiarange.pdf |date=15 December 2016 }}. Pew Forum, 2010] 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 [[African traditional religion|traditional indigenous beliefs]] such as the [[Dogon religion]], 0.2% followed other religions, and 0.7% were non-religious.[
[[Animism|Animists]] are the largest religious group in the country's [[Sud-Ouest Region (Burkina Faso)|Sud-Ouest]] region, forming 48.1% of its total population.][{{cite web|title=Statistics in Burkina Faso|url=https://www.who.int/countries/bfa/en/|publisher=[[World Health Organization]]}}] In 2024, the median age of its inhabitants was 18 and the estimated population growth rate was 2.4%.[[https://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/burkinafaso/ UN AIDS: HIV/AIDS â adult prevalence rate]. Retrieved 25 July 2014.] According to the 2011 UNAIDS Report, HIV prevalence is declining among pregnant women who attend antenatal clinics.[{{citation|url=http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/unaidspublication/2011/JC2216_WorldAIDSday_report_2011_en.pdf|title=UNAIDS World AIDS Day Report 2011|publisher=UNAIDS|access-date=29 March 2012|archive-date=1 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601011732/http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/unaidspublication/2011/JC2216_WorldAIDSday_report_2011_en.pdf}}] 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.[[https://swap.stanford.edu/20091018142724/http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/fgm/prevalence/en/index.html Female genital mutilation and other harmful practices], WHI.int]
Central government spending on health was 3% in 2001.[{{cite web|url=http://globalis.gvu.unu.edu/indicator_detail.cfm?IndicatorID=142&Country=BF|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516041014/http://globalis.gvu.unu.edu/indicator_detail.cfm?IndicatorID=142&Country=BF|archive-date=16 May 2011|title=Globalis â an interactive world map â Burkina Faso â Central government expenditures on health|publisher=Globalis.gvu.unu.edu|access-date=1 October 2009}}] {{As of|2009}}, studies estimated there were as few as 10 physicians per 100,000 people.[{{cite web|url=http://www.afro.who.int/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1018&Itemid=2045&lang=en|title=WHO Country Offices in the WHO African Region â WHO | Regional Office for Africa|publisher=Afro.who.int|access-date=20 June 2010}}] In addition, there were 41 nurses and 13 midwives per 100,000 people.[[https://web.archive.org/web/20110816011006/http://www.measuredhs.com/countries/country_main.cfm?ctry_id=50&c=Burkina%20Faso Burkina Faso DHS Surveys], measuredhs.com]
A [[Dengue fever]] outbreak in 2016 killed 20 patients.[{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-38078754|title=Dengue fever kills 20 in Burkina Faso|work=BBC News|date=23 November 2016}}]
In the 2024 Global Hunger Index (GHI), Burkina Faso ranks 98th out of 127 countries and has a serious level of hunger.[{{Cite web |title=Global Hunger Index Scores by 2024 GHI Rank |url=https://www.globalhungerindex.org/ranking.html |access-date=12 December 2024 |website=Global Hunger Index (GHI) - peer-reviewed annual publication designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and country levels |language=en}}]
===Education===
{{main|Education in Burkina Faso}}
[[File:Gando-School-Burkina-Faso.JPG|thumb|The [[Gando, Burkina Faso|Gando]] primary school, designed by [[Diébédo Francis Kéré]]. The innovative clay/cement hybrid structure provides thermal protection and natural ventilation, addressing characteristic problems of educational buildings in the region. Kéré received the [[Aga Khan Award for Architecture]] in 2004 for this design.]]
Education in Burkina Faso is divided into primary, secondary and higher education. The Education Act makes schooling compulsory from age 6 to 16, with French as the official language of instruction.
By law, education is free, but the government lacks adequate resources to provide universal free primary education. Children must pay for school supplies, and communities are often responsible for constructing primary school buildings and teachers' housing. Children from poor families can receive tuition-free education through junior high and high school if their grades qualify.
High school costs approximately CFA 25,000 (US$50) per year, which is far above the means of most BurkinabĂš families. Boys receive preference in schooling; as such, girls' education and literacy rates are far lower than their male counterpartsâ. 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.
Higher education provision is highly centralized in Ouagadougou. The University of Ouagadougou had around 40,000 students (83% of the national population of university students) in 2010/2011, the University of Koudougou had 5,600 students, and the Polytechnic University of Bobo-Dioulasso had 2,600. The private universities each had less than 1,000 students. Supervision rates vary significantly between institutions - at the University of Ouagadougou there is one lecturer for every 24 students, while at The Polytechnic University of Bobo-Dioulasso there is one lecturer for every three students.
As of 2023, the gross enrollment ratio for tertiary education among males was reported at 12.1%. The gross enrollment ratio represents the ratio of total enrollment, regardless of age, to the population of the age group that officially corresponds to the level of education shown.
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.
==== Influencing factors ====
Several factors continue to influence educational outcomes in Burkina Faso, such as the limited number of actual schools, particularly in rural areas, and a shortage of qualified instructors, especially for higher education. Families must pay for school supplies and school fees despite nominal free education, and there is widespread poverty with very low family incomes. There is the opportunity costs of sending children to school rather than having them contribute to family income. Another factor is language barriers, as education is conducted primarily in French while only approximately 15% of BurkinabĂš speak French as a first language. [citation needed]
==Food insecurity {{anchor|Food insecurity in Burkina Faso|Food security}}==
According to the [[Global Hunger Index]], a multidimensional tool used to measure and track a country's hunger levels,[{{Cite web|title = Global Hunger Index {{!}} IFPRI|url = http://www.ifpri.org/topic/global-hunger-index|website = ifpri.org|access-date = 20 November 2015}}] Burkina Faso ranked 65 out of 78 countries in 2013.[{{Cite web|title = UN World Food Program|url = https://www.wfp.org/stories/10-things-know-about-hunger-burkina-faso|website = wfp.org|access-date = 19 October 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151012201025/http://www.wfp.org/stories/10-things-know-about-hunger-burkina-faso|archive-date = 12 October 2015}}] 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.[{{Cite web|url = http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/newsroom/wfp275851.pdf|title = The Cost of Hunger in Africa: Burkina Faso 2015|publisher = African Union Commission|access-date = 19 October 2015|archive-date = 21 November 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151121075605/http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/newsroom/wfp275851.pdf}}] Only 11.4 percent of children under the age of two receive the daily recommended number of meals.[{{Cite web|title = Statistics|url = http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/burkinafaso_statistics.html|website = UNICEF|access-date = 19 October 2015|archive-date = 21 November 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151121150726/http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/burkinafaso_statistics.html}}] Additionally, stunted children, on average, tend to complete less school than children with normal growth development,[{{Cite web|url = http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2014/education-in-burkina-faso.aspx|title = Education of Marginalized Populations in Burkina Faso|access-date = 20 November 2015|archive-date = 21 November 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151121081936/http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2014/education-in-burkina-faso.aspx}}]
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.[{{Cite web|url =https://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/aid/countries/factsheets/burkina_faso_en.pdf|title = ECHO Factsheet â Burkina Faso|date =3 October 2013|publisher = European Commission}}] Rates of micronutrient deficiencies are also high.[{{Cite journal|title = The DHS Program â Burkina Faso: DHS, 2010 â Final Report (French)|url = https://dhsprogram.com/publications/publication-FR256-DHS-Final-Reports.cfm|website = dhsprogram.com|access-date = 19 October 2015|date = April 2012}}] 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.[{{Cite web|title = Gains and losses as Burkina Faso fights child hunger| work=IRINnews |url = http://www.irinnews.org/report/99767/gains-and-losses-as-burkina-faso-fights-child-hunger|agency = IRIN|access-date = 19 October 2015|date = 11 March 2014}}]
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 IntermĂłn]] and [[ACDI/VOCA]].[{{Cite web| url=https://www.usaid.gov/burkina-faso/food-assistance| title=Food Assistance Fact Sheet â Burkina Faso| date=19 October 2018| access-date=6 January 2019| archive-date=7 January 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107072124/https://www.usaid.gov/burkina-faso/food-assistance}}]
===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.[{{Cite web|title = Burkina Faso {{!}} WFP {{!}} United Nations World Food Programme â Fighting Hunger Worldwide|url = https://www.wfp.org/countries/burkina-faso/overview|website = wfp.org|access-date = 19 October 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150910072256/http://www.wfp.org/countries/burkina-faso/overview|archive-date = 10 September 2015}}] 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.[{{Cite web|url = http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/ep/wfp272247.pdf|title = Burkina Faso Brief|publisher = World Food Programme}}] 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.[{{Cite web | url=https://www1.wfp.org/operations/bf01-burkina-faso-transitional-icsp-january-december-2018 | title=Burkina Faso Transitional ICSP (January â December 2018) | World Food Programme |work=www1.wfp.org}}]
In April 2026 India has sent a consignment of one thousand metric tonnes of rice to Burkina Faso as humanitarian assistance as an initiative aimed at supporting food security for vulnerable communities and internally displaced persons.
====World Bank====
One of the main projects the [[World Bank Group|World Bank]] is working on to reduce food insecurity in Burkina Faso is the Agricultural Productivity and Food Security Project.[{{Cite web |title = Projects: Agricultural Productivity and Food Security Project {{!}} The World Bank |url = http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P114236/agricultural-productivity-food-security-project?lang=en |publisher = World Bank |access-date = 2 November 2015}}] 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."[{{Cite web | url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/burkinafaso/overview | title=Overview |work=www.worldbank.org}}]
==Culture==
{{main|Culture of Burkina Faso}}
[[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een Nunuma of Winiama maskerdanser TMnr 20031569.jpg|thumb|A masked Winiama dancer, {{circa}} 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, pensées et devinettes mossi'' (''Maxims, Thoughts and Riddles of the Mossi''), a record of the oral history of the [[Mossi people]].[{{cite book|last=Salhi|first=Kamal|title=Francophone Voices|publisher=Intellect Books|year=1999|page=37|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G9u9TeDegXMC|isbn=978-1-902454-03-0|access-date=26 April 2014}}]
The oral tradition continued to have an influence on BurkinabĂš writers in the post-independence Burkina Faso of the 1960s, such as [[Nazi Boni]] and Roger Nikiema.[{{cite book|last=Allan|first=Tuzyline Jita|title=Women's Studies Quarterly: Teaching African Literatures in a Global Literary|publisher=[[Feminist Press]]|year=1997|page=86|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QD8TgZVWugYC|isbn=978-1-55861-169-6|access-date=26 April 2014}}] The 1960s saw a growth in the number of playwrights being published.[{{cite book|last=Marchais|first=Julien|title=Burkina Faso|publisher=Petit FutĂ©|pages=91â92|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6jsBLSzJWYsC|language=fr|isbn=978-2-7469-1601-2|year=2006|access-date=26 April 2014}}]
The [[theatre of Burkina Faso]] combines traditional BurkinabĂš 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 [[mask]]s. Western-style theatre became common during colonial times, heavily influenced by [[French theatre]]. With independence came a new style of theatre inspired by [[Theatre of the Oppressed|forum theatre]] aimed at educating and entertaining Burkina Faso's rural people.[{{Cite news |title=Burkina Faso {{!}} Coup, Map, Capital, Flag, Government, & History {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Burkina-Faso |access-date=2026-06-19 |work=Encyclopedia Britannica |language=en}}]
[[File:Malika slameuse.jpg|thumb|Malika Outtara, poet]]
[[Poetry slam|Slam poetry]] is increasing in popularity in the country, in part due to the efforts of slam poet [[Malika Ouattara|Malika Outtara]].[{{Cite web |title=Burkina Faso: On The Frontline Of The Struggle For Sexual Health And Rights In Burkina Faso |url=https://www.mewc.org/index.php/gender-issues/human-rights-of-women/9578-burkina-faso-on-the-frontline-of-the-struggle-for-sexual-health-and-rights-in-burkina-faso |access-date=23 February 2021 |website=www.mewc.org}}] She uses her skills to raise awareness around issues such as blood donation, albinism and the impact of COVID-19.[{{Cite web |last=laguineenne |date=23 June 2019 |title=Malika La Slameuse, la reine des mots forts |url=https://www.laguineenne.net/malika-la-slameuse-la-reine-des-mots-forts/ |access-date=23 February 2021 |website=La Guinéenne |language=fr-FR |archive-date=3 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003083830/https://www.laguineenne.net/malika-la-slameuse-la-reine-des-mots-forts/ }}][{{Cite web |title=Don de sang: Malika la Slameuse et ses fans se mobilisent pour sauver des vies - leFaso.net |url=https://lefaso.net/spip.php?article99236 |access-date=23 February 2021 |website=lefaso.net |language=fr}}]
===Arts and crafts===
{{Main|Art of Burkina Faso}}
[[File:Burkina faso artisan painted gourds.jpg|thumb|Artisan garland of decorative painted [[gourd]]s 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===
{{main|Music of Burkina Faso}}
The music of Burkina Faso includes the [[folk music]] of 60 different [[ethnic group]]s. The [[Mossi people]], centrally located around Ouagadougou, account for 40% of the population while, to the south, [[Gurunsi people|Gurunsi]], [[Gurma people|Gurma]], [[Dagaaba people|Dagaaba]] and [[Lobi people|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 language (Burkina)|Samo]], [[Bissa people|Bissa]], [[Bobo people|Bobo]], [[Senufo people|Senufo]] and [[Marka people|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===
{{main|Media of Burkina Faso|Communications in Burkina Faso}}
[[File:Burkina Faso media 2010.jpg|thumb|A cameraman in Ouagadougou in 2010]]
The nation's principal media outlet is its state-sponsored combined television and radio service, ''[[Radio Télévision du Burkina]]'' (RTB).[{{cite web|url=https://www.rtb.bf/|title=Radiodiffusion-Télévision Burkina|publisher=Rtb.bf|access-date=1 October 2009}}] RTB broadcasts on two [[medium-wave]] ([[Amplitude modulation|AM]]) and several [[Frequency modulation|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 Ouagadougou using a 100 kW transmitter on 4.815 and 5.030 MHz.[Radio Station World, ''[http://radiostationworld.com/locations/burkina_faso/ Burkina Faso: Governmental Broadcasting Agencies]'']
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.[Committee to Protect Journalists, [https://www.cpj.org/africa/burkina-faso/ ''Burkina Faso'']] 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.[Reporters Sans Frontieres, ''[http://en.rsf.org/predator-what-s-happening-about-the-inquiry-into-norbert-zongo-s-death,2485.html What's Happening About The Inquiry Into Norbert Zongo's Death?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421082231/http://en.rsf.org/predator-what-s-happening-about-the-inquiry-into-norbert-zongo-s-death%2C2485.html|date=21 April 2014 }}''][Reporters Sans Frontieres, ''[http://www.ifex.org/burkina_faso/2006/07/21/outrageous_denial_of_justice_in/ Outrageous Denial Of Justice]'' 21 July 2006]
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.[{{cite web |last1=Roger |first1=Benjamin |title=Burkina: François Compaoré interpellé à l'aéroport de Paris-Charles de Gaulle |url=https://www.jeuneafrique.com/487905/societe/burkina-francois-compaore-interpelle-a-laeroport-de-paris-charles-de-gaulle/ |website=[[Jeune Afrique]] |access-date=3 March 2025 |language=fr |date=29 October 2017}}] His extradition to Burkina Faso was annulled by the ECHR, following an appeal lodged by his lawyer [[François-Henri Briard]].[{{cite web |title=La CEDH suspend l'extradiction de François Compaoré depuis la France vers le Burkina Faso |url=https://www.france24.com/fr/france/20210806-la-cedh-suspend-l-extradiction-de-françois-compaoré-depuis-la-france-vers-le-burkina-faso |website=[[France 24]] |access-date=3 March 2025 |language=fr |date=6 August 2021}}]
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 [[Sams'K Le Jah|Karim Sama]], whose programs feature reggae songs interspersed with critical commentary on alleged government injustice and corruption, received several death threats.[IFEX, ''[http://www.ifex.org/burkina_faso/2007/04/30/radio_station_temporarily_pulls/ Radio Station Temporarily Pulls Programme After Host Receives Death Threats]'', 26 April 2007]
Sama's personal car was later burned outside the private radio station Ouaga FM by unknown vandals.[FreeMuse.org, ''[http://freemuse.org/archives/928 Death threat against Reggae Radio Host] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426215002/http://freemuse.org/archives/928|date=26 April 2014 }}'', 3 May 2007] 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.[Keita, Mohamed, ''[https://cpj.org/blog/2008/12/burkina-faso-police-question-zongo-protesters.php#more Burkina Faso Police Question Zongo Protesters]'', Committee to Protect Journalists, 15 December 2008]
===Cinema===
{{main|Cinema of Burkina Faso}}
The [[cinema of Burkina Faso]] is an important part of the West African film industry and African film as a whole.[Spaas, Lieve (2000) "Burkina Faso," in ''The Francophone Film: A Struggle for Identity,'' pp. 232â246. Manchester: Manchester University Press, {{ISBN|0-7190-5861-9}}.] Burkina's contribution to [[African cinema]] started with the establishment of the film festival [[FESPACO]] (Festival Panafricain du CinĂ©ma et de la TĂ©lĂ©vision 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 [[Pan African Federation of Filmmakers]] (FEPACI) was in Ouagadougou, rescued in 1983 from a period of moribund inactivity by the enthusiastic support and funding of [[Thomas Sankara|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]].[Turégano, Teresa Hoefert (2005) ''African Cinema and Europe: Close-Up on Burkina Faso'', Florence: European Press Academic, {{ISBN|88-8398-031-X}}.] Burkina produces popular television series such as ''Les Bobodiouf''. Internationally known filmmakers such as Ouedraogo, Kabore, Yameogo, and Kouyate make popular television series.
===Cuisine===
{{main|Cuisine of Burkina Faso}}
[[File:Fufu.jpg|thumb|A plate of [[fufu]] (right) accompanied with [[peanut soup]]]]
Typical of West African cuisine, Burkina Faso's cuisine is based on [[staple food]]s of [[sorghum]], [[millet]], rice, maize, peanuts, potatoes, [[bean]]s, [[yam (vegetable)|yam]]s and [[okra]].[{{cite web|title=Oxfam's Cool Planet â Food in Burkina Faso|publisher=[[Oxfam]]|url=http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/ontheline/explore/journey/burkina/food.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517115414/http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/ontheline/explore/journey/burkina/food.htm|archive-date=17 May 2012|access-date=21 May 2008}}] The most common sources of animal protein are chicken, chicken eggs and freshwater fish. A typical BurkinabĂš beverage is ''banji'' or palm wine, which is fermented [[Palm wine|palm sap]]; and zoom-kom, or "grain water", is purportedly the national drink of Burkina Faso. Zoom-kom is milky-looking and whitish, having a water and cereal base, and often drunk with ice cubes. In the more rural regions, in the outskirts of Burkina, ''dolo'', a drink made from fermented millet, may be found.[{{cite web| url = http://sinotables.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1217:lhumeur-de-dom-zoom-kom-la-boisson-star-des-burkinabes&catid=48:encontinu-secondtwo-droite| title = article in French on Burkinabe Zoom-kom| access-date = 5 May 2015| archive-date = 31 December 2015| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151231203019/http://sinotables.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1217:lhumeur-de-dom-zoom-kom-la-boisson-star-des-burkinabes&catid=48:encontinu-secondtwo-droite}}] In times of crisis, ''zamnĂš'', a legume native to Burkina, can be served as a main dish or in a sauce.[{{Cite journal |last1=Drabo |first1=Moustapha Soungalo |last2=Shumoy |first2=Habtu |last3=CissĂ© |first3=Hama |last4=Parkouda |first4=Charles |last5=NikiĂ©ma |first5=Fulbert |last6=Odetokun |first6=Ismail |last7=TraorĂ© |first7=Yves |last8=Savadogo |first8=Aly |last9=Raes |first9=Katleen |date=December 2020 |title=Mapping the variability in physical, cooking, and nutritional properties of ZamnĂš, a wild food in Burkina Faso |journal=[[Food Research International]] |language=en |publication-date=2020 |volume=138 |issue=B |article-number=109810 |doi=10.1016/j.foodres.2020.109810 |pmc=7575534 |pmid=33288185 }}]
===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 {{convert|35|km|abbr=off}} 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 African masks|traditional masks]], is held every two years in [[DĂ©dougou]].
===Sports===
{{main|Sport in Burkina Faso}}
[[File:Burkina team.png|thumb|right|[[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]].[{{Cite web |last=Equinest |first=The |date=2025-01-17 |title=Horses in Burkina Faso |url=https://theequinest.com/horses-burkina-faso |access-date=2026-05-13 |website=The Equinest |language=en}}]
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 Africa Cup of Nations|2013 African Cup of Nations]] in South Africa and reached the final, but then lost to Nigeria 0â1. The country has never qualified for a [[FIFA World Cup]].[{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldranking/rankingtable/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007050949/http://www.fifa.com/worldranking/rankingtable/index.html|archive-date=7 October 2011|access-date=4 February 2017|title=The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking|publisher=FIFA}}]
Basketball is another sport which enjoys much popularity for both men and women.[{{cite book|last=Keim|first=Marion|title=Sport and Development Policy in Africa â Results of collaborative study of selected country cases|publisher=SUN PRESS|date= 2014|orig-date=1st pub. 2014|page=206|chapter=Country Profile of Sport and Development â Sport and Popularity|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8jsrAwAAQBAJ&q=burkina+faso+most+popular+sport&pg=PA57|isbn=978-1-920689-20-9}}] The country's [[Burkina Faso national basketball team|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 [[Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics â Men's triple jump|men's triple jump]].[{{cite news |last1=Culpepper |first1=Chuck |title=The thing about poignant triple-jump moments? They sneak up on you. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2021/08/05/hugues-fabrice-zango-burkina-faso-triple-jump-medal/ |access-date=10 August 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=5 August 2021}}] Zango also won the gold medal in the triple jump at the 2023 world championships. Cricket is also picking up in Burkina Faso with Cricket Burkina Faso running a ten-club league.[{{Cite web|date=13 December 2021|title=Cricket in Francophone Africa: Report from Burkina Faso and CĂŽte d'Ivoire|url=https://emergingcricket.com/insight/cricket-in-francophone-africa-report-from-burkina-faso-and-cote-divoire/|access-date=25 January 2022|website=Emerging Cricket|language=en-GB}}]
==See also==
{{portal|Africa|Countries
}}
* [[Outline of Burkina Faso]]
{{Clear}}
==Notes==
{{Notelist}}
==References==
{{Duplicated citations|reason=DuplicateReferences script detected:
* https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2025/april (refs: 6, 171)
* https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-60118993 (refs: 109, 160)
* https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2834.htm (refs: 189, 192)
|date=August 2026}}
{{Reflist}}
==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|ref=Rupley|title=Historical Dictionary of Burkina Faso|last1=Rupley |first1= Lawrence|last2=Bangali |first2= Lamissa|last3=Diamitani |first3= Boureima|name-list-style=amp|publisher= The Scarecrow Press|year= 2013|isbn=978-0-8108-6770-3}}
==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* 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 1983â1987'' (Pathfinder Press, 2007).
* Sankara, Thomas, ''We are the Heirs of the World's Revolutions: Speeches from the Burkina Faso Revolution 1983â1987'' (Pathfinder Press, 2007).
{{refend}}
== External links ==
{{Sister project links|voy=Burkina Faso|Burkina Faso}}
* {{Official website|2=Official government portal}} {{in lang|fr}}
* [https://www.lefaso.net/ LeFaso.net], a news information site {{in lang|fr}}
* [https://ecowap.ecowas.int/country/Burkina-Faso Burkina Faso] profile from [[ECOWAS]]
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13072774 Burkina Faso profile] from the [[BBC News]].
* {{wikiatlas|Burkina Faso}}
* [https://www.aljazeera.com/where/burkina-faso/ News headline links] from [[Al Jazeera]].
* [https://www.democracynow.org/topics/burkina_faso Burkina Faso], Democracy Now!
* [https://newint.org/regions/burkina-faso Country profile] at [[New Internationalist]].
* [https://bizpages.org/countries--BF--Burkina-Faso Burkina Faso Business Facts] from [https://bizpages.org Bizpages]
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