Unknown or isnvalid code provided

West Africa’s Political and Security Crises Are Only Getting Worse

West Africa’s Political and Security Crises Are Only Getting Worse
Young men chant slogans against military ruler Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Sept. 30, 2022 (AP photo by Sophie Garcia).

West Africa’s governance crisis reached a fever pitch this week amid conflicting reports from Burkina Faso that raised fears of yet another military coup attempt in the region. In the early hours of Friday morning, gunfire and explosions were reported at Camp Baba Sy in Ouagadougou, the country’s capital, as well as in the vicinity of the presidential palace. Access to major government buildings, including the National Assembly and the prime minister’s residence, was reportedly blocked by soldiers.

The state broadcaster briefly went off the air, before abruptly returning without an explanation for the interruption. But the government of Burkina Faso has downplayed rumors of a putsch. In a statement released on Facebook, Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, Burkina Faso’s interim head of state, described the “confused situation” as an internal crisis within the armed forces, and called for calm and normalcy to be restored.

Nevertheless, the pattern of events reported across traditional and social media bore a strong resemblance to the country’s last coup in January, when the government of former President Roch Marc Christian Kabore was overthrown, as well as to the other military takeovers that have happened across West Africa in the past two years. Such a development would not necessarily come as a major surprise, either. While many in Burkina Faso initially welcomed the military takeover in January, hoping that the armed forces could turn the country’s deteriorating security and political conditions around, those expectations have yet to be realized.

Keep reading for free!

Get instant access to the rest of this article by submitting your email address below. You'll also get access to three articles of your choice each month and our free newsletter:

Or, Subscribe now to get full access.

Already a subscriber? Log in here .

What you’ll get with an All-Access subscription to World Politics Review:

A WPR subscription is like no other resource — it’s like having a personal curator and expert analyst of global affairs news. Subscribe now, and you’ll get:

  • Immediate and instant access to the full searchable library of tens of thousands of articles.
  • Daily articles with original analysis, written by leading topic experts, delivered to you every weekday.
  • Regular in-depth articles with deep dives into important issues and countries.
  • The Daily Review email, with our take on the day’s most important news, the latest WPR analysis, what’s on our radar, and more.
  • The Weekly Review email, with quick summaries of the week’s most important coverage, and what’s to come.
  • Completely ad-free reading.

And all of this is available to you when you subscribe today.

More World Politics Review