Vol 56 No 15 | BURKINA FASO Guards old and new 23rd July 2015 The latest round of the angry confrontation between ex-President Blaise Compaoré’s elite bodyguards, the 1,300-strong Régiment de sécurité présidentielle, and its former deputy commander, has gone the way...
Vol 56 No 9 | BURKINA FASO The code breakers 1st May 2015 Supporters of the ancien régime are resisting a new electoral code which bans many of them from standing for election. The National Transition Council has excluded from October's...
Vol 56 No 4 | BURKINA FASO Between street and barracks 19th February 2015 The country prepares for a democratic dawn at the October elections but stubborn soldiers want their privileges guaranteed The mass movement that toppled President Blaise Compaoré last October is at increasing odds with the Régiment de sécurité présidentielle (RSP, AC Vol 55 No 22). The elite...
Vol 56 No 1 | BURKINA FASO Watching the dust settle 9th January 2015 Filling the vacuum left by Compaoré’s long presidency will dominate the year ahead: the mass movement that ousted him will be on high alert Dismantling the political and economic system built around ex-President Blaise Compaoré is political, military and economic. Politically, the transition is about preparing the way for new presidential and...
Vol 55 No 24 | BURKINA FASO Truth and reconciliation 5th December 2014 Early in his new job, Interim Prime Minister Yacouba Isaac Zida sprang two surprises. The first was the 26 November announcement that the enquiry would be reopened into...
Vol 55 No 22 | BURKINA FASO Pressure mounts on Zida 7th November 2014 The public is unhappy with Compaoré’s replacement by one of his Praetorians and many fear for the fate of their revolution In the immediate aftermath of the overthrow of President Blaise Compaoré last week, no one knew who was in charge. Gradually, towards the end of the country’s most...
Vol 55 No 22 | BURKINA FASO The warning from Ouagadougou 1st November 2014 The overthrow of Blaise Compaoré sends a powerful message from the street to other leaders planning to extend their rule One of Africa's canniest operators, Blaise Compaoré, was forced out of power on 31 October as over 100,000 protestors in Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso demanded his exit. Unable to...
Vol 55 No 13 | BURKINA FASO The knock-out stage 27th June 2014 First it was President Blaise Compaoré's opponents who filled up the 35,000-capacity Stade du 4 Aôut in Ouagadougo on 31 May, and then it was the ruling Congrès...
Vol 55 No 7 | BURKINA FASO Tight spot for Blaise 4th April 2014 Compaoré is running out of options. If he stays on, mass protests will continue but if he leaves, he may lose his money and could face trial President Blaise Compaoré is in growing political difficulty. Mass protests greet any attempt to prolong his rule, something he would attempt by amending Article 37 of the Constitution...
Vol 55 No 3 | BURKINA FASO Blaise wants compromise 7th February 2014 The three main defectors from President Blaise Compaoré’s ruling Congrès pour la démocratie et le progrès (CDP) launched their own political party on 25 January (AC Vol...