Burkina Faso
Slightly larger than Colorado, Burkina Faso, formerly known as Upper Volta, is a
landlocked country in West Africa. Its neighbors are Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger,
Benin, Togo, and Ghana. The country consists of extensive plains, low hills,
high savannas, and a desert area in the north.
Government
Parliamentary.
History
Burkina Faso was originally inhabited by the Bobo, Lobi, and Gurunsi peoples,
with the Mossi and Gurma peoples immigrating to the region in the 14th century.
The lands of the Mossi empire became a French protectorate in 1897, and by 1903
France had subjugated the other ethnic groups. Called Upper Volta by the French,
it became a separate colony in 1919, was partitioned among Niger, the Sudan, and
Côte d'Ivoire in 1932, and was reconstituted in 1947. An autonomous republic
within the French Community, Upper Volta became independent on Aug. 5, 1960.
President Maurice Yameogo was deposed on Jan. 3, 1966, by a military coup led by
Col. Sangoulé Lamizana, who dissolved the national assembly and suspended the
constitution. Constitutional rule returned in 1978 with the election of an
assembly and a presidential vote in June in which Gen. Lamizana won by a narrow
margin over three other candidates.
On Nov. 25, 1980, Col. Sayé Zerbo led a bloodless coup that toppled Lamizana. In
turn, Maj. Jean-Baptist Ouedraogo ousted Zerbo on Nov. 7, 1982. But the real
revolutionary change occurred the following year when a 33-year-old flight
commander, Thomas Sankara, took control. A Marxist-Leninist, he challenged the
traditional Mossi chiefs, advocated women's liberation, and allied the country
with North Korea, Libya, and Cuba. To sever ties to the colonial past, Sankara
changed the name of the country in 1984 to Burkina Faso, which combines two of
the nation's languages and means “the land of upright men.”
While Sankara's investments in schools, food production, and clinics brought
some improvement in living standards, foreign investment declined, many
businesses left the country, and unhappy labor unions began strikes. On Oct. 15,
1987, formerly loyal soldiers assassinated Sankara. His best friend and ally
Blaise Compaoré became president. Compaoré immediately set about “rectifying”
Sankara's revolution. In 1991, he agreed to economic reforms proposed by the
World Bank. A new constitution paved the way for elections in 1991, which
Compaoré won easily, although opposition parties boycotted. In 1998, he was
reelected by a landslide. A coup against the president was foiled in 2003, and
he was reelected a third time in 2005.
Prime Minister Yonli resigned in June 2007 and was replaced by Tertius Zongo,
who has served as the ambassador to the United States and as the country's
finance minister.
Location
Western Africa, north of Ghana
Ethnic groups
Mossi over 40%, other approximately
60% (includes Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, and Fulani)
Religions
Muslim 50%, indigenous beliefs 40%,
Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10%
Independence
5 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday
Republic Day, 11 December (1958)