Category Archives: Burkina Faso

Sams K’Jah who supposedly is camped out at Ronde Point Nations Unis or Place de la Nation. Arsene Bognessan Ye – He was brought back by Compaoré to manage the whole political transition after 2011… he botched it, in retrospect. … Continue reading →

They came in and read their communique, and the Army Chief of Staff acted confused when reporters asked a simple question: Where is Blaise Compaoré? and they all walked out of the room.  Painful to watch.  At least take power … Continue reading →

Blaise Compaoré is holed up maybe in Kosyam, the presidential palace, with presidential guard (very powerful) remaining loyal.  Compaoré announced he would remain as president until elections at end of 2015, and he would not try to change constitution (and … Continue reading →

A few hours ago I flinched after one tweet exchange with the inimitable Jon Lee Anderson.  Fuck!  I’ve been reading him in The New Yorker for years, and he tweets about Burkina Faso, and I try to be all sassy … Continue reading →

            *That is Yoweri Museveni, and no Blaise Compaoré, in the photo!

Now is when it gets Borgia-like, right?  Everyone has known for years that the slow but steady growth of Burkina Faso for last 15 years could vanish in a puff of smoke and a lot of broken windows, in three … Continue reading →

For the future, it would be good to know what exactly were the messages being sent by Susan Rice and Tulinabo Mushingi, because surely this was not the outcome that U.S. policy should have been working for.  As a U.S. … Continue reading →

President Blaise Compaoré looks like he is about to be ousted, as a popular uprising today has led the regime to collapse.  Pretty much his own fault.  He had numerous opportunities over 2014 to engineer a graceful transition of power … Continue reading →

U.S. diplomats were pretty clear today in disapproval.  Of course, the effects depend on how the message was delivered in person, and the hints of consequences to follow if the message were ignored (as seems likely, at this point).  The … Continue reading →

The right data: Since 1990, 11 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have had leaders try to rewrite their constitutions to do away with term limits. Seven 64 percent of these leaders succeeded Burkina Faso, Chad, Gabon, Guinea, Namibia, Togo, and Uganda. … Continue reading →

President Blaise Compaoré, and his political party the CDP (led by Assimi Koanda) announced this week they would seek to amend the Constitution in order to permit President Compaoré to run for another term. Opposition announced big demonstration October 28.  … Continue reading →

Rémi Carayol writes that his sources indicate Blaise Compaoré will try on October 30 to have the National Assembly pass by 3/4 majority an amendment to the constitution permitted a second re-election (that is, a third term).  Oddly, Jeune Afrique/Carayol … Continue reading →

Correction- they voted to put consideration of the question on the agenda, apparently. Still not clear because no news stories have emerged of what exactly was decided today. Apparently after not even a full day of consideration!  No hearings about … Continue reading →

One of the most well-respected journalists in Burkina Faso.  He does not mince his words. Completely opposed to Blaise Compaoré’s attempts to revise the constitution to permit himself to run for another presidential term. Il y a une constitution qui … Continue reading →

If the referendum passes and he wins the presidential elections in 2015, another 5 years term would mean he will have been president from 1987-2010, a total of 33 years. There are two legal obstacles, that I hope the opposition … Continue reading →

I have not been able to track down the source of this quote attributed to Baldwin: “You write in order to change the world … if you alter, even by a millimeter, the way people look at reality, then you … Continue reading →