Burkina Faso is located in the Sahel region of West Africa. The landlocked country borders Mali and Niger to the north and Togo, Ghana, Benin and Côte d'Ivoire to the south. Of the approximately 22.5 million inhabitants (as of 2023), over 67% live in rural areas and work in agriculture and livestock farming.
The country is rich in gold (it is the third largest gold supplier in Africa) and other important raw materials (copper, zinc, manganese, phosphates). Nevertheless, Burkina Faso is one of the economically weakest countries in the world. The average per capita income is USD 833 (2022). 36.9% of the population have a daily income of less than USD 1.9 and are therefore considered extremely poor. The instability in the region, which has also affected Burkina Faso, makes economic development impossible.
Burkina Faso was politically stable for a long time. Traditionally, Burkina Faso is characterised by great ethnic and religious tolerance between the more than 60 ethnic groups. "Burkina" and "Faso" come from the two largest national languages and together they mean "land of honest people". The former Upper Volta has borne this name since 1984, given by Thomas Sankara after the 1983 revolution.
Since the collapse of Libya after 2011, after which various radical Islamist rebel groups spread towards the south, additional unrest has come to the region. In Burkina Faso, various groups have joined the fight. Jihadists and local bandits have now taken control of entire regions, creating parallel administrations and intensifying existing conflicts between farmers and pastoralists or various ethnic groups.
Over 2 million people are now fleeing violence and destruction within Burkina Faso. In addition, over 36,000 people from Mali have found refuge in Burkina Faso. The displaced farmers can no longer farm their land and an estimated 2.2 million people are suffering from hunger. Only the centre around the capital Ouagadougou is now considered safe.
Popular discontent over the government's inability to act has led to two military coups, the last of which took place in September 2022. The current ruler of Burkina Faso is now military officer Ibrahim Traoré.
The country has developed a resilience and great solidarity to deal with the crisis situation. It is now increasingly relying on its own resources instead of international aid. Solidarity among the population to stabilise the security situation is expressed in various ways; money is being made available, a national solidarity fund has been set up, internally displaced persons are being taken in by local families, tens of thousands of volunteers have signed up to protect villages from jihadist groups. Women have formed food co-operatives.
Around 80 per cent of the population of Burkina Faso lives from agriculture. Gold mining is also an important source of income, from which 3 million people live directly or indirectly. According to a UNHCR report, the climate crisis will lead to more and more droughts and heatwaves, making access to water and food more difficult. The food security of three million people is already at risk and around 25.5% of the population is undernourished (as of 2023). This mainly affects areas controlled by rebels and jihadists. Roads are often mined and blocked, which means that food aid can no longer be transported by land.
Under the rule of the Marxist-revolutionary President Sankara from 1983 to 1987, measures were taken to empower women and educate all Burkinabé. The citizens of Burkina Faso are still building on this foundation today, which is reflected in a strong trade union movement and progressive mentality. There are numerous initiatives and civil society organisations that dare to question and criticise politics.
On paper, Burkina Faso is one of the most progressive countries in West Africa in terms of equality and women's rights thanks to feminist movements such as Femin-in, Voix des femmes and the Coalition Burkinabés pour les Droits des Femmes (CBDF). Both female genital mutilation and the marriage of minors have been prohibited by law for years. However, according to our expert and country coordinator Bibiane Yoda, the politically dominant Mossi ethnic group, in which patriarchal structures are strongly anchored, has created institutional structures over time that work against women's rights. The precarious economic situation, increasing extremist violence and restrictions due to the COVID pandemic led to limited freedom of movement and fewer spaces for women, which in turn reinforced patriarchal structures and gender-specific violence. Sexual violence and poverty-induced prostitution are on the rise, particularly in the camps for internally displaced persons.
However, the feminist movements remain strongly anchored in Burkina Faso and have made it possible for violence against women and girls to decline in recent years. They are campaigning against sexist discrimination and have made it possible, especially in urban areas, for women to gain access to necessary information and services and to feel protected from violence by the police.
