The Uncertain Future of Burkina Faso

By reading the newspapers, I was astonished by the Putsch in Burkina Faso.  This coup d’état has changed the region’s political situation.  Even if it is a political shock for Burkina Faso, it won’t be without consequences for the peripheral regions.  This event has caused me to think of two things : the place of the youth, and the new challenges raised by the Putsch.

     The Presidential Security Regiment (PSR) led by Gabriel Diendré was overthrown by a coup d’état. The president in position, M. Kafando, and Prime Minister I. Zida have been taken hostage. A few days later, Gabriel Diendré then appears on television, to explain to has taken power. The African population, and especially African youth, tried to raise against this putsch, but it was repressed.  There were more than ten deaths. The international community — in particular France, whose interests are at stake — condemned this operation.  The ground and air borders were closed.  Burkina Faso and its population is in turmoil, repeating the past errors.  Errors, some thought, would never raise their ugly heads again.

     Up to now, Burkina Faso has looked like a model in several areas.  The region had developed diplomatic relations with Taiwan, as well as with France.  The country has even become the center of security operations led by France, against the armed jihadist and Salafist groups of Sahel. The elections to organize a democratically elected president were approaching.  However, fearing he would be ousted from political power, General Diendré did not hesitate to use the military dictatorship of his predecessors. Many people think that Compaoré secretly pulled the strings of the situation.

The coup was precipitated in part by the interim government’s decision to prohibit those politicians from taking part in the elections, originally scheduled for October 11. Under the proposed compromise by West African leaders, the elections would be delayed until late November. 

In spite of firm ethnic divides, Burkina Faso has done its best to set a political game worthy of the name.Citizens and politicians have worked together.  The African youth was a major component of this process towards democracy in the region.  So, the African youth had been thirsty of political change since 2014.  Many of them introduced uprisings against the former “president for life” of Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaoré. They organized his departure of the power.

As Mr. Kafando said :

We are proud of the mobilization and fearlessness of the Burkinabé people, especially its youth, whose unwavering determination helped to stop the usurpation.

However, pulled by economic, social, political, security threats, the Burkinafaso’s youth struggle with difficulty to attain a basic level of security.  Even those who are highly skilled, are facing impediments to achieve a professional advancement and experience increasing unemployment. Unfortunately, the African youth is obliged to fight against the socioeconomic and political situation of the country to the detriment of their own ambitions and of their well-being.  Consequently, the African youth remains symptomatic of the lack of human security in this country and more generally in Africa.  The concept of human security indicates the fact of living shielded from the fear and from the need . Yet, this idea collides with the daily realities of the African young people.

     Despite surprising the international community, several factors indicate that the coup d’état could have been predicted.  Several appeals were launched to end the regime of the PSR, which raised fears of a seizure of power.  Fights between spheres of power were happening since June and shed light on a potential conflict for the power.

     The situation here was notably calmer than in previous days. Daily life was slowly returning to normal; supermarkets, gas stations and shops have reopened. 

     Even if the coup d’état failed, new challenges have been raised.  The coup d’état is symbolic of the powerful role the army plays in the African political arena and the political fragility of Burkina Faso.  It is essential that the political power stays in the hands of the civil power. The former president Blaise Compaoré  must not be able to represent himself in the presidential elections. One needs to hope that Michel Kafando achieves a return to the status quo, or that a new democratic transition is set up.  The political and democratic construction thus remains a major challenge.

     Furthermore, the situation of the African youth is important in the political domain. It is revealing of a generational fight between the young people being thirsty of political change and a political class, who remain prisoners of bad political habits.  Many people see the African youth as a time bomb capable of violence, due to their political dissatisfaction. It is clear that, until now, the youth have been at the origins of a democratic spring.  Thus they deserve much more attention and especially a social recognition.  In this way, they could express themselves more freely without being obliged to resort to the violence.

    We have seen by this current event that the power cannot remain without the support of its population, hence the return to normal situation.  It is thus a matter of not letting the flame of the democratic spring of 2014 go out.

Here is a link to a Ted Talk called “The leaders who ruined Africa and the generation who can fix it.”  It illustrates this situation at an individual level of analysis, emphasizing the role of the new generation and imagining how to create the leadership of the future.