By Thando Nzimande #FutureVoices Scholar Middle East Africa Research Institute
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country at the geographic and political heart of West Africa’s Sahel, and its contemporary challenges cannot be understood without tracing the deep historical forces that have shaped it. Long before colonial borders were imposed, the territory was home to sophisticated societies, most notably the Mossi kingdoms, which emerged from around the fifteenth century and developed durable systems of centralized authority, land tenure and military organization. These kingdoms maintained relative autonomy even as trans-Saharan trade networks connected the region to North Africa and beyond. French colonial conquest at the end of the nineteenth century disrupted these indigenous structures, folding the territory into French West Africa under the name Upper Volta. Colonial rule reoriented economic activity toward extraction and labor migration, embedding patterns of dependency that would persist after independence in 1960.
The post-independence political history of Burkina Faso has been marked by instability, frequent military interventions and short-lived civilian governments. This trajectory was dramatically interrupted in 1983 by the revolutionary seizure of power by Captain Thomas Sankara, whose vision of radical self-reliance, anti-imperialism and social justice redefined the country’s political identity. Sankara renamed the country Burkina Faso, meaning “Land of Upright People,” and launched ambitious programs in public health, education, women’s emancipation and agrarian reform. His assassination in 1987 ended the revolution but not its symbolic power. The long presidency of Blaise Compaoré that followed brought relative stability and closer alignment with Western powers, but at the cost of entrenched patronage networks, constrained political space and growing popular frustration. When Compaoré attempted to extend his rule beyond constitutional limits in 2014, mass protests forced him from office, raising hopes for democratic renewal.
Those hopes were quickly undermined by a rapidly deteriorating security environment. From around 2015, jihadist insurgencies linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State expanded southward from Mali into northern and eastern Burkina Faso. The state, already institutionally weak and under-resourced, struggled to respond. Civilian governments elected after 2015 appeared incapable of reversing the spread of violence, which displaced millions, hollowed out local administration and shattered trust between citizens and the state. This context paved the way for the return of the military as a political actor. In January 2022, soldiers overthrew President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, citing the government’s failure to protect the population. Less than a year later, in September 2022, a second coup brought Captain Ibrahim Traoré to power, making him one of the youngest heads of state in the world.
Under Ibrahim Traoré’s leadership, Burkina Faso has undergone a sharp political and strategic reorientation. Traoré has framed his rule as a patriotic, corrective intervention aimed at restoring sovereignty, defeating terrorism and reclaiming the revolutionary spirit associated with Thomas Sankara. His government has centralized power, extended the transition timeline to civilian rule, and sidelined or restructured institutions seen as obstacles to decisive action, including electoral bodies. Supporters view these moves as necessary to confront an existential security crisis; critics argue they entrench military rule and weaken democratic accountability. Traoré has also overseen the mobilization of civilian auxiliaries through the expansion of the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland program, integrating tens of thousands of civilians into local security efforts. While this has bolstered manpower, it has also raised concerns about human rights abuses, communal tensions and the long-term militarization of society.
The Traoré government’s domestic posture is inseparable from its geopolitical realignment. Relations with France, the former colonial power and a key security partner during the counterterrorism operations of the 2010s, have deteriorated sharply amid public anger and perceptions of ineffective or self-interested intervention. French military forces were asked to leave, and the government has sought alternative partnerships, most notably deepening ties with Russia and cooperating with Russian-linked security actors. Burkina Faso has also aligned itself closely with Mali and Niger, both ruled by military group, forming new regional security and political arrangements that challenge the authority of ECOWAS (Economic Community Of Western African States). This realignment reflects both ideological currents of anti-imperialism and pragmatic attempts to secure military support, but it also risks diplomatic isolation, sanctions and reduced access to Western aid and investment.
Economically, Burkina Faso remains one of the poorest countries in the world, and its structural constraints are severe. The economy is overwhelmingly agrarian, with a majority of the population dependent on subsistence farming and livestock herding. Cotton has long been a cornerstone of export agriculture, while gold mining has become the country’s most important source of foreign exchange since the early 2000s. Industrial capacity is limited, infrastructure is underdeveloped, and the country is highly vulnerable to climate shocks such as droughts and erratic rainfall. Conflict has further damaged the economic base by displacing farmers, disrupting markets and discouraging private investment. Nevertheless, recent years have shown pockets of resilience, with modest GDP growth driven by agriculture, services and high gold prices, even as poverty and inequality remain widespread.
Trade is central to understanding Burkina Faso’s economic position and vulnerabilities. As a landlocked country, Burkina Faso depends heavily on regional corridors through coastal neighbours such as Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin to access international markets. Exports are dominated by gold and cotton, with gold accounting for the majority of export earnings and playing a critical role in stabilizing the balance of payments. Cotton exports link Burkina Faso closely to global commodity markets, exposing farmers to price volatility and external demand shocks. Imports, by contrast, consist largely of fuel, machinery, manufactured goods and food products, reflecting the country’s limited industrial base. Regional trade within the West African Economic and Monetary Union is vital, facilitated by the shared CFA franc currency, which provides monetary stability but limits independent monetary policy. Political tensions with neighbours or disruptions along transport corridors can therefore have immediate and severe economic consequences, underscoring how trade, security and diplomacy are tightly intertwined.
The social consequences of prolonged insecurity and economic fragility are profound. Millions of Burkinabè have been internally displaced, schools and clinics have closed in large swathes of the country, and food insecurity has risen sharply. The Traoré government has emphasized national unity, discipline and sacrifice, drawing on revolutionary symbolism to legitimize its authority, but it faces the immense challenge of translating rhetoric into tangible improvements in daily life. Restoring basic services, rebuilding trust between communities and the state, and addressing youth unemployment are critical tasks if social cohesion is to be preserved.
Looking ahead, Burkina Faso’s future trajectory remains deeply uncertain. Much depends on whether the current leadership can achieve meaningful security gains without further eroding institutions and civil liberties. A stabilization of the security situation could open space for economic recovery, renewed trade flows and a gradual return to civilian governance. Failure, by contrast, risks locking the country into a cycle of militarization, economic stagnation and international isolation. Ibrahim Traoré’s leadership has clearly reshaped Burkina Faso’s political and geopolitical orientation, breaking with decades of alignment and invoking a revolutionary past to justify radical change. Whether this moment becomes the foundation for long-term renewal or another chapter in the country’s recurring cycle of upheaval will be determined by how effectively security, trade, governance and economic reform can be aligned in the years ahead.