2014 Burkina Faso uprising
The 2014 Burkina Faso uprising was a series of demonstrations and riots in Burkina Faso in October 2014 that quickly spread to multiple cities. They began in response to attempts at changing the constitution to allow President Blaise Compaoré to run again and extend his 27 years in office. Pressure for political change came from civil society and in particular from the country's youth.[6] Following a tumultuous day on 30 October, which included the involvement of former Defence Minister Kouamé Lougué and the burning of the National Assembly and other government buildings as well as the ruling Congress for Democracy and Progress party's headquarters, Compaoré dissolved the government and declared a state of emergency before eventually fleeing to Côte d'Ivoire with the support of Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara.
2014 Burkina Faso uprising
- Constitutional electoral law change (abolition of presidential term limits)
- Political reforms, mainly discontinuation of the president's term
- Suspension of constitutional amendment bill in parliament.
- Parliament dissolved.
- President Blaise Compaoré resigns and flees to Ivory Coast.
- Yacouba Isaac Zida becomes acting president, amid immediate dispute but eventual resolution.
General Honoré Nabéré Traoré announced that a transitional government would run the country until an election within 12 months. After another day of mass protests and initially refusing to resign, after mounting domestic pressure Compaoré resigned from his 27-year presidency on 31 October and Traoré took over as the interim head of state. However, Lieutenant Colonel Yacouba Isaac Zida also staked a claim to be interim head of state citing Traoré's unpopularity. A statement by military chiefs asserted that Zida had their unanimous backing. A coalition of unnamed opposition parties rejected the military takeover. Further protests were called for the morning of 2 November,[7] but were smaller yet there was at least one casualty amidst a police response. The African Union gave the country a fortnight to end military rule from 3 November. By mid-November, a framework was agreed upon unanimously for a transitional executive and legislative administration.
Background[edit]
Following an amendment in 2000, the constitution limits presidents to two terms of five years. However, the restrictions were not applied retroactively, allowing President Blaise Compaoré, who had been in office since 1987, to run for a further two terms and be re-elected in 2005 and 2010.[8]
In regards to the 2015 presidential election, Compaoré tried to extend his 27 years in power by enacting a constitutional amendment to lift term limits. As a result, the opposition called for protests against the measure that was sitting in parliament.[1] Some people suggested the move could "spark an uprising."[9]
The Burkinabé Spring also called for change amid a stagnant economy and a non-responsive state, which was met with some concessions. The events magnified a divide, and distrust, between the regular army and the special units, such as the Regiment of Presidential Security.[10]
Protests[edit]
Initial[edit]
Protests started in late October.[1] Unnamed opposition called for a blockade of parliament.[11] On 28 October, there were street battles during an anti-government rally by hundreds of thousands of demonstrators. The next day, though, banks, shops and markets reopened. Movement of People for Progress (MPP) member Pargui Emile Paré said that "one thing is certain: we'll march on the parliament [on 30 October]."[3] On 29 October, a mass rally accompanied by street battles took place against a "constitutional coup" involving hundreds of thousands of people.[12]
Citizens of other African countries, seeing the scenes broadcast across the country, asked if the Burkinabé events were successful whether they could be replicated elsewhere. Social media sites were abuzz with Africans pointing at the respective governments who sought to hold on to power.[37] The Twitter hashtag "#lwili" was used for the Burkinabé events in reference to the traditional Burkinabe cloth Lwili Peendé.[5]
The Guardian said the events could be "a promising break with the trend set by various African rulers finding elasticity in constitutional limits, including Chad, Gabon, Guinea, Namibia, Togo and Uganda."[1] The Christian Science Monitor cited unnamed people terming this an African Spring and that it could serve as a warning to leaders like Rwanda's Paul Kagame who are trying to abolish term limits.[13] Parallels were also drawn with the Arab Spring.[16] Al Jazeera asked if there would be repercussions across West Africa and whether this was an uprising or a coup, though there were no Burkinabé on their panel.[58]
Risk management firm Red24's Ryan Cummings said that "we saw this was a regime that was crumbling" citing Compaoré's loss of support within the military and his own party. He added that "Compaoré as much as he was vilified by the local population he was a key ally of the west… without him there’s no guarantee the status quo will persist. The country itself is quite key for regional stability…There’s going to be a void and that could catalyze a lot of extremist groups and this could see other countries being destabilised."[13] U.K.-based risk consultancy group, Maplecroft's, Maja Bovcon said:[10]