History of Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. It covers an area of around 105,900 sq miles and is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north; Niger to the east; Benin to the southeast; Togo and Ghana to the south; and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest. In 2017, its population was estimated at just over 20 million. Burkina Faso is a francophone country, with French as the official language of government and business. Burkina Faso was formerly called the Republic of Upper Volta from 1958 to 1984, the country was renamed Burkina Faso on 4 August 1984.

In the 1890s, during the European Scramble for Africa, the territory of Burkina Faso was invaded by France, and colonial control was established following a war of conquest between 1896 and 1904. The territory was made part of French West Africa in 1904, and the colony of French Upper Volta was established on 1 March 1919. The colony was named for its location on the upper courses of the Volta River.

The Republic of Upper Volta was established on 11 December 1958 as a self-governing colony within the French Community, and on 5 August 1960, it gained full independence. The leader of the leftist faction of Ouédraogo's government, Thomas Sankara, became Prime Minister but was later imprisoned. Efforts to free him led to the popularly-supported 1983 coup d'état, in which he became President. Sankara renamed the country Burkina Faso and launched an ambitious socioeconomic program. Sankara was overthrown and killed in 1987 – deteriorating relations with former colonizer France and its ally the Côte d'Ivoire was the reason given for Sankara's overthrow.

In 1987, Blaise Compaoré became President and, after an alleged 1989 coup attempt, was later elected in 1991 and 1998, elections which were boycotted by the opposition and received a considerably low turnout, as well as in 2005. He remained head of state until he was ousted from power by the popular youth upheaval of 31 October 2014, after which he fled to the Côte d'Ivoire. Michel Kafando subsequently became the transitional President of the country. On 16 September 2015, a military coup d'état against the Kafando government was carried out by the Regiment of Presidential Security, the former presidential guard of Compaoré. On 24 September 2015, after pressure from the African Union, ECOWAS and the armed forces, the military junta agreed to step down, and Michel Kafando was reinstated as Acting President. In the general election held on 29 November 2015, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré won in the first round with 53.5% of the vote and was sworn in as President on 29 December 2015.

Timeline

1896 - Burkina Faso became a French protectorate

1898 - The Franco-British Convention created the country's modern borders. In the French territory, a war of conquest against local communities and political powers continued for about five years

1904 - The largely pacified territories of the Volta basin were integrated into the Upper Senegal and Niger colony of French West Africa as part of the reorganization of the French West African colonial empire

1915 - 1916 - The Volta-Bani War was one of the most important armed oppositions to the colonial government

1919 - 1932 -French Upper Volta was dismantled, being split between the French colonies of Côte d'Ivoire, French Sudan and Niger

1947 - France reversed this change during the period of intense anti-colonial agitation that followed the end of World War II and it revived the colony of Upper Volta, with its previous boundaries, as a part of the French Union

1958 - The Republic of Upper Volta was established as a self-governing colony within the French Community

1958 - French Upper Volta attained full independence from France

1984 - The country's name was changed from Upper Volta to Burkina Faso

Prehistory

Burkina Faso was populated early, notably by hunter-gatherers in the northwestern part of the country (12,000 to 5,000 B.C.E.), just as in other Western Africa, Agricultural settlements appeared between 3600 and 2600 B.C.E. The use of iron, ceramics, and polished stone developed between 1500 and 1000 B.C.E. There are remains of high walls in the southwest (as well as in Côte d'Ivoire).

Probably in the late 1400s C.E. the Mossi invaded the area on horseback and occupied the plateau in the center of the country. Their further spread was limited by sleeping sickness, which affected the horses. The Mossi integrated with the essentially farming ethnic groups they conquered, incorporating many of their religious practices. During this period, slaves captured on raids were sent north to Mali or south to the Atlantic coast, whence they were shipped to the Americas, especially Brazil.

From colony to independence

In 1896, the Mossi kingdom of Ouagadougou became a French protectorate after being defeated by French forces. In 1898, the majority of the region corresponding to Burkina Faso today was conquered, though there were periodic revolts by groups resisting taxation, centralized rule, forced labor, and military conscription. In 1904, these territories were integrated into French West Africa. Originally administered as part of Côte d'Ivoire, they became a separate colony in 1919. The new colony of Upper Volta was broken up in 1932 and shared between Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Niger.

In 1947 Haute-Volta (Upper Volta) was re-created with its pre-1932 boundaries, and in 1958, it achieved self-government and became a republic and member of the Franco-African Community. Full independence was attained in 1960. The country's first military coup occurred in 1966; it returned to civilian rule in 1978. There was another coup in 1980, which in turn was overthrown in 1982. A counter-coup was launched in 1983, which left the left-leaning Captain Thomas Sankara in charge. Blaise Compaoré came to power in 1987 after a coup d'état that killed Sankara.

On October 31, 2014, President Compaoré, facing mounting pressure, resigned after 27 years in office. In the following years, there was political instability with several coups.

In 2022, The Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration (MPSR) supported by the military declared itself to be in power. The military junta restored the constitution and appointed Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba as interim president. In the aftermath of the coup, ECOWAS and the African Union suspended Burkina Faso's membership. On February 10, the Constitutional Council declared Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba President of Burkina Faso and he was sworn in on February 16. On March 1, 2022, the junta approved a charter allowing a military-led transition of 3 years. The charter provides for the transition process to be followed by the holding of elections.

Government

The constitution of 1991 established a semi-presidential government with an Assembly that can be dissolved by the president, who is elected for a term of five years. In 2000 a constitutional amendment reduced the presidential term from seven to five years.

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

Burkina Faso is divided into 13 regions, 45 provinces, and 301 departments. Each region is administered by a governor.

Foreign relations

Burkina Faso is a member of the G5 Sahel, Community of Sahel–Saharan States, La Francophonie, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and United Nations. It is currently suspended from ECOWAS and the African Union.

Economy

Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world. This can partly be attributed to population growth and arid soil. Agriculture represents 32 percent of its gross domestic product and occupies 80 percent of the working population. It consists mostly of livestock but also, especially in the south and southwest, crops such as sorghum, millet, maize (corn), peanuts, rice, and cotton, which is the major cash crop. Burkino Faso has been a leader in opposing cotton subsidies by the developed countries to their producers, on the grounds that subsidies encourage dumping, which results in lower world demand and prices. Some farmers in Burkina Faso are threatening to stop raising the crop because of the falling prices. An estimated three million people depend on cotton for their livelihood. The government is also trying to increase yield with better seeds and to find other uses for the cotton, such as making cooking oil.

Lack of work opportunities causes a high rate of emigration: for example, three million Burkinabe lived in Côte d'Ivoire until 2002, sending home tens of billions of CFA francs each year. The crisis in Côte d'Ivoire led to the return of 300,000 migrants.

Burkina is attempting to improve the economy by developing its mineral resources, improving its infrastructure, making its agricultural and livestock sectors more productive and competitive, and stabilizing the supplies and prices of food grains.

Manufacturing is limited to cotton and food processing (mainly in Bobo-Dioulasso). Some factories are privately owned, and others are set to be privatized. The deposits of manganese, zinc, and gold have attracted the interest of international mining firms.

History of Burkina Faso

Timeline

Prehistory

From colony to independence

Government

Foreign relations

Economy

Comments

Recommended Stories

About African History

Send us an Email