Burkina Faso Government and Politics
On September 16, the Presidential Guard (RSP) arrested President Kafando and Prime Minister Zida. This happened two days after the Reform Commission had recommended dissolving the RSP, which had been closely linked to Compaoré. The coup makers subsequently stated that they had deposed Kafando, dissolved the government and the interim parliament. Instead, they set up a transitional council, the National Council for Democracy (CND) to lead the country to the holding of free elections. They criticized the authorities for adopting an undemocratic electoral law and for ignoring the calls made by ECOWAS. General Gilbert Diendéré was deployed as chairman of CND. Also see AbbreviationFinder for abbreviation of BF and its meanings of Burkina Faso.
Reference: Burkina Faso Flag Meaning
On 18 September Senegal President Macky Sall, who was at the same time chaired by ECOWAS and Benin President Boni Yayi, traveled to Ouagadougou to meet with General Diendéré to reinstate the transitional government. Two days later, an agreement was announced, which would exclude eight candidates from running for president, the military coup participants would be granted amnesty, and the CND would release everyone arrested. However, there was no agreement on the board until elections were held in November. Acc. The agreement was to reinstate deposed President Kafando, but CND insisted on having General Diendéré continue his post until the election.
According to AllCityCodes.com, CND failed to assert its authority outside the capital, and on September 21, the Army General Staff declared that the army had now set course for Ouagadougou to end the coup. Faced with the threat of fighting with the army and daily demonstrations against the coup, Diendéré declared that the CND would follow the agreement on transition to democracy. Kafando was re-elected as President in the presence of ECOWAS leaders on September 23 and Zida re-elected as Prime Minister. Diendéré then stated that the coup had been a mistake and had not had popular support. Two days later, the RSP was dissolved by government decree. The prosecutor then confiscated all funds belonging to Diendéré and 4 political parties – including the CDP. Several of the presidential candidates nominated were then arrested and General Diendéré brought before a military court. 14 people were killed during the coup and several hundred injured.
Roch Marc Christian Kaboré won the presidential election in November 2015 already in the first round with 53.5% of the vote. He became the country’s first elected president in 49 years unrelated to the military. Kaboré’s party MPP also became the largest party in parliament with 55 out of 127 seats. UPC gained 33 seats while CDP had to settle for 18. Kaboré had broken out of CDP in January 2014 and had formed MPP. In January 2016, Kaboré appointed Paul Kaba Thieba as new prime minister.
Just two days after the prime minister’s deployment, AQIM sought to take advantage of the unstable political situation in the country. It attacked Hotel Splendid in Ouagadougou. 30 were killed and 56 wounded before the military succeeded in retaking the hotel and killing the jihadists. The attack marked the chaos the West had created in 2011 when it deposed Gaddafi in Libya, spread across Mali and on to Burkina Faso. The country’s stability is threatened both by the conflicts in West Africa, the political instability in the Sahel and North Africa and the desertification caused by global climate change.
In June 2016, 14 people were indicted at the military court for being involved in the murder of Thomas Sankara in 1987. Among them was former President Blaise Compaoré. An international arrest was made against Compaoré and others who were living on exile. Seven people were arrested in October and charged. Between July and October, 38 of the 85 people charged with endangering state security, crimes against humanity and murders in connection with the 2015 coup attempt were temporarily released. This included journalists Caroline Yoda and Adama Ouédraogo. Former Foreign Minister Djibril Bassolé and General Gilbert Dienderé, however, remained incarcerated.
In September 2016, the government instituted a commission to draft a new constitution.
Farmers and cattle farmers formed self-defense groups (“Kogleweogo”), which attacked the country in the form of, among other things. teas and abductions. The NGO criticized the authorities for doing too little to prevent these attacks. In September, 4 Kogleweogo members were sentenced to 6 months unconditional imprisonment for participating in an armed encounter, while 26 others received conditional sentences of 10-12 months in prison. The Minister of Justice promised to halt the activities of the groups and in October a decree was passed to regulate their activities.
