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1 [1] (May 15, 2025)

handle is hein.crs/brkafso0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service lnforrnng the legislative debate since 1914 Burkina Faso: Conflict and Military Rule Burkina Faso has been under military rule since 2022, part of a wave of coups in the Sahel and West Africa. The military's seizure of power put an end to Burkina Faso's brief tenure as an emerging democracy and rising U.S. regional security partner. A decade of escalating conflict has plunged the country into a humanitarian crisis. Al Qaeda- and Islamic State (IS)-affiliated groups control 30% of the country per official estimates, a potential undercount. State security forces and allied militias have allegedly committed massacres and other abuses, fueling ethnic violence and insurgent recruitment. The ruling junta has reshaped Burkina Faso's foreign and defense relations, as have counterparts in neighboring Mali and Niger. These countries have curtailed cooperation with former colonial power France-previously a key partner in U.S.-supported counterterrorism operations-and strengthened ties with Moscow. The three countries formed the Alliance of Sahel States in 2023 and withdrew in early 2025 from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which had pressed for elections. Congress may consider policy toward Burkina Faso in the context of strategic competition, changes in U.S. foreign assistance, and security concerns. In the 118th Congress, the House and Senate held hearings on U.S. policy in the Sahel. Military Rule Junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traord is among the world's youngest heads of state at age 37. He has assailed Western powers and emphasized pan-Africanism, sovereignty, and self-reliance, themes with strong resonance in Burkina Faso and beyond. He has expanded recruitment of volunteer fighters to counter insurgents and has sought to enhance state control over gold mining, a key sector. Traord initially pledged elections within two years, then deemed them not a priority. In May 2024, the junta extended its rule for five more years; Mali and Niger have made similar moves. Authorities have claimed to foil several coup plots. Capt. Traord has mobilized large shows of support on the streets of Ouagadougou (Figure 1) and on social media. In April 2025, condemnation erupted from Traord supporters after the Commander of U.S. AFRICOM, Gen. Michael Langley, in Senate testimony, accused Burkina Faso's junta of using the country's gold resources to protect itself. Such support has continued despite insurgent gains and socioeconomic challenges. Authorities have brutally repressed dissent and reportedly benefited from misleading propaganda. Local magistrates, journalists, civil society activists, opposition party figures, and other critics have faced arrest, censorship, forced conscription, and apparent enforced disappearances. Political party and civil society activities are officially suspended. Authorities have suspended several local and international broadcasters over critical coverage, including Voice of America. Burkinabe Updated May 15, 2025 officials have rejected human rights criticism, claiming that the military is the victim of a smear campaign. Figure I. Burkina Faso at a Glance Sources: CRS graphic; data from CIA World Factbook, International Monetary Fund (IMF); 2025 estimates unless noted. Background Capt. Traord seized power in September 2022, ousting a more senior military officer who had carried out a coup in January of that year. Traords coup came on the heels of widespread public frustration over the government's failure to curb insurgent attacks. Rivalry among specialized military units may also have been a factor. Burkina Faso has a history of military mutinies, coups, and social unrest, though it was seen as relatively stable under former leader Blaise Compaord, who held power from a coup in 1987 until he was overthrown in a popular uprising in 2014. Roch Marc Christian Kabord, a civilian politician, was elected in 2015, after transitional authorities put down a failed coup attempt. Kabord was Burkina Faso's first post- independence leader to enter office via elections. He faced growing insurgent threats, along with popular demands for job creation, governance reforms, and accountability for Compaord-era abuses. He was reelected in 2020, then ousted in the January 2022 coup. Terrorism and Insurgency Armed Islamist violence has escalated since 2016, when Al Qaeda-affiliated militants conducted an unprecedented large-scale attack in Ouagadougou that killed 30 people, including a U.S. citizen. Islamist armed groups, including a Malian-led Al Qaeda affiliate known as JNIM and a rival Islamic State (IS)-aligned faction, have expanded their areas of operation within the country and in Mali and Niger. JNIM appears to present the more operationally capable p)s:/ors reportsco nqress.

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