The popular uprising in Burkina Faso and the Transition

Abstract

At the end of October 2014, Africa was again the scene of a popular uprising: in two days the people of Burkina Faso, in mass demonstrations, emptied the presidential palace of its occupant, exceeding even the slogans launched by political opposition and civil society organisations. On 31 October President Blaise Compaoré, after 27 years in power, was forced to resign. In this briefing, after a very brief overview of the dynamics of the struggles in Burkina Faso, Lila Chouli presents in broad outline the nature of the post-October transition, its relationship to the uprising and some of the principal contradictions and tensions contained in these developments.