It isn’t a Coup in Burkina Faso

After days of unrest, Burkina Faso’s president Blaise Compaoré has agreed to step down. This comes after not only of days of violent protests caused by his desire to seek another term as president, but also his proposition to oversee a political transition with elections to be held in 90 days. His opponents, leading to his resignation as President, rejected this deal. The military is now in control of the Western African country, and will restore the constitution in 12 months, but will appoint a new head of state in the coming weeks. This cannot be mistaken as a military coup d’etat. If this were, Comparoe would more than likely be dead, and the military would not be seeking to appoint a new head of state along with the intention to keep the old constitution. The opportunity for a peaceful transition for Burkina Faso is not lost! It only has been delayed for the time being until order is restored.

Despite Burkina Faso’s relatively low profile in the international spectrum, the small African nation is a vital player in events that were ongoing in the region. President Compaoré acted as a mediator in the conflicts in Ivory Coast and Mali. He also has allowed the United States to operate a military base outside of the capital of Ouagadougou that is used to house and operate spy planes over the regions of the Maghreb and the Sahara. Burkina Faso is also a large producer of gold, but its economic strength relies on cotton production.