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1 [1] (March 26, 2018)

handle is hein.crs/govzga0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Cogesoa Reerh evc Updated March 26, 2018 Burkina Faso: In Focus Landlocked with a largely agrarian economy, Burkina Faso remains one of the world's poorest countries. Per-capita gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at $696 in 2017. Nearly 45% of the population is under the age of 14, life expectancy is less than 56 years, and the infant mortality rate is the seventh-highest in the world. Burkina Faso has made progress toward strengthening democracy and civilian control of the armed forces since a tumultuous political transition in 2014-2015, but it faces a range of political and security challenges. Previously, under the rule of former President Blaise Compaor6 (1987-2014), Burkina Faso was known as a relatively stable, semi- authoritarian state that dabbled in regional conflicts without being subsumed by them. Compaor6 was ousted by a combination of street protests and military intervention in 2014, and a similar mix of actors faced down a coup attempt by a prominent Compaor6 loyalist in 2015. The November 2015 election of President Roch Marc Christian Kabord marked the country's first democratic transfer of power since independence from France in 1966. A former Compaor6 ally turned opposition figure, Kabor6 has struggled to respond to high popular expectations and public demands for rapid job creation, governance reforms, and sweeping prosecutions of former regime figures. Over the past three years, an Islamist insurgency has emerged in the rural north, while the capital, Ouagadougou, has been hit by three large terrorist attacks against Western and domestic targets. The growing threat posed by Islamist armed groups is linked to the conflict in neighboring Mali, where an Al Qaeda-aligned Islamist insurgency has coalesced and expanded southward since 2015. It also appears to be increasingly locally rooted, despite Burkina Faso's history of stability and religious tolerance. Background Compaor's seizure of power in a 1987 coup brought relative stability after decades of alternating civilian and military rule. Despite his closeness to Libya's Muammar Qadhafi and reported backing of various rebel groups in neighboring states, Compaor6 eventually developed a reputation as a competent leader in a turbulent region, and served as a mediator in several West African political crises. Compaor's 27-year tenure was nonetheless roiled by periodic street protests and army mutinies. In October 2014, youth-led protesters stormed the National Assembly to force the withdrawal of a bill that could have allowed Compaor6 to run again for reelection. As protests escalated, and amid indications that a military coup might be under way, Compaor6 resigned and fled to C~te d'Ivoire. The deputy commander of the elite Presidential Security Regiment (RSP) proclaimed himself president, but he later accepted the post of Prime Minister in a transitional government led by a career diplomat, Michel Kafando. Figure I. Burkina Faso at a Glance Source: CIA World Factbook and International Monetary Fund (IMF, October 2017); 2017 estimates unless otherwise indicated. As interim leader, Kafando sought reforms to reduce the power of key pillars of the Compaor6 regime, including the ruling party and the RSP itself. In October 2015, RSP commander Gen. Gilbert Diend&6 attempted to overthrow Kafando in a coup, sparking resurgent street protests and international condemnation. Ultimately, conventional army units surrounded the RSP's barracks, forcing Diend&s surrender and Kafando's reinstatement. Kafando then ordered the RSP's dissolution and disarmament, although the extent of implementation has been uncertain. Burkinab6 courts later brought charges against Diend&6 and others in connection with the 2015 coup attempt, but the trial has been slow to progress. Efforts to prosecute various high- level state crimes allegedly committed under Compaor6 have largely stalled, prompting frustration among activists. Presidential and parliamentary elections in November 2015 marked the end of the formal transition period. Kabor6 won the presidency with 54% of the vote, and his People's Movement for Progress (MPP) won a slim plurality of seats (55 out of 127) in the National Assembly, later forming a ruling coalition with several smaller parties. The political opposition is headed by Z6phirin Diabr6, leader of the Union for Progress and Change (UPC) party. Diabr6 came in second in the 2015 elections, with 30% of the presidential vote, and the UPC won 30 Assembly seats. The Economy Annual economic growth has averaged over 5% during the past decade, according to the IMF, but has not consistently outpaced population growth. The formal economy relies largely on exports of cotton and gold, for which global prices have fluctuated. The vast majority of the labor force is engaged in agriculture, which reportedly generates one- third of GDP. Remittances from as many as 3 million Burkinab& residing in wealthier neighboring CMte d'Ivoire also contribute to the economy. The State Department's 2017 Investment Climate Statement reported that Burkina Faso welcomes foreign investment and actively seeks to attract foreign partners to aid in its development, but the ittps://crsreports.congress

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