Burkina Faso’s Defense and Political System

Burkina Faso’s Defense

The total force figures for Burkina Faso’s armed forces are 11,200 active personnel, including 4200 in a gendarmerie (2018, IISS). In addition there are 250 semi-military security forces.

From November 2014, Burkina Faso has joined the G5 Sahel alliance with Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. The alliance participates in the French-led Opération Barkhane in the fight against armed Islamist groups in the region.

Army

The army has a staff of 6400 active personnel. Materials include about 91 light trucks, about 44 armored personnel vehicles, medium-heavy artillery, short-range anti-aircraft missiles and light anti-aircraft artillery.

Burkina Faso Army

Air Force

The Air Force has a workforce of 600 active personnel. Materials include five training aircraft / light attack aircraft (three Super Tucano and two SF-260 Warrior), one reconnaissance aircraft, nine light transport aircraft and nine helicopters (including two Mi-35 combat helicopters).

International operations

Burkina Faso participated in the UN operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) in 2018 with a personnel and an observer, the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) with a personnel and an observer, in Mali ( MINUSMA) with 1720 personnel, and in Sudan with a personnel and an observer (UNAMID) and an observer (UNISFA) respectively.

Burkina Faso’s Political System

Following the Constitution of 1991, most recently amended in 2002, Burkina Faso is a “revolutionary, democratic, unitary and secular republic”. The president is the dominant political leader and is elected from the general elections of 2005 for five (previously seven) years. The president can be re-elected once. Legislative power has been formally put to an elected (for five years) parliamentary assembly of 111 members. In addition, from 1999 there is an Elderly Council, which aims to promote national reconciliation. In practice, the government is nominated by the president, although the deputy assembly may refuse to accept his election as prime minister. President Blaise Compaoré came to power in a military coup in 1987, and long dominated the country’s politics. He was elected president in 1991 and re-elected in 1998, 2005 and 2010, but the opposition boycotted the presidential election. The Assembly of Deputies is completely dominated by the presidential coalition of the president, after these elections have also partly been boycotted by the opposition. After popular protests, Compaoré was sacked after 27 years in power, and Roch Marc Christian Kaboré won the 2015 presidential election.

Burkina Faso’s government is unstable and there is also some social unrest. The country has also been in conflict with several neighboring countries and has been accused of meddling in conflicts in other states, which has also helped to make the country’s government controversy and unstable.

Administrative division

Burkina Faso is administratively divided into 45 provinces governed by state-appointed governors.

Judiciary

These are first-rate dishes in the larger cities. Otherwise, it is a Supreme Court and an Appeal Court. Formally, the courts are independent, but the judges are responsible to a council chaired by the president. French legal traditions play a certain role.

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