Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso, formerly known as Upper Volta, is located in West Africa, with Mali to the north, Togo and Ghana to the south, Niger to the east, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. Its population consists of approximately 17 million people. The major languages spoken in the country include Mossi, Dyula, Mande, Senufo, and French. Armed conflict has plagued the nation for a century. In October 2014, widespread street protests, marches, and demonstrations succeeded in overthrowing the 27-year dictatorship of Blaise Campaoré. “The people’s war,” and what some refer to as Revolution 2.0, proved to be too overwhelming and formidable for the general. The ousting of Campaoré ignited recollections of the revolution initiated in 1983 by Thomas Sankara, who was assassinated in 1987 in what ...