Latest military takeover threatens to bring more turmoil
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Burkina Faso, the West African state formerly known as Upper Volta, was torn by unrest last week when its president, in office for 27 years, said that he would be seeking to amend the constitution to prolong his rule. Instead, he was ousted from office.
Blaise Campaore was considered a positive element when he took over the former French colony of 17 million in 1987 after 27 years of independence. He seized power in a military coup, then was elected president in four questionable contests.
He became an example of absolute power corrupting absolutely. The Burkinabe people lived in poverty while Campaore ruled without competition.
Along with burning part of the parliament building last week, demonstrators in the capital Ouagadougou targeted the homes of the president’s family. He had made his son, for example, head of the national oil company.
Sixty per cent of the Burkinabe are Sunni Muslims, although Islamic radicalism does not appear to be an element in the uprising. The landlocked country has borders with Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger and Togo. Trouble in Burkina Faso creates a problem for the government of French President Francois Hollande, who has already sent forces to former French colonies Mali and the Central African Republic to seek to put the lid back on there. France maintains a small military base in Burkina Faso.
This unrest raises the question of whether the popular movements that constituted the Arab Spring, overturning governments, are now beginning to appear in other Muslim and African states. There is no shortage in Africa of despots ruling poor, hopeless populations. Zimbabwe leaps to mind, but is not alone.
The army in Burkina Faso announced the dissolution of the government. After Campaore’s resignation, General Honore Traore assumed the presidency. The world will soon see if this means improvement, or just more turbulence for an African country.
