Freedom in the World 2004 - Burkina Faso

Political Rights: 4
Civil Liberties: 4
Status: Partly Free
Population: 13,200,000
GNI/Capita: $220
Life Expectancy: 45
Religious Groups: Indigenous beliefs (40 percent), Muslim (50 percent), Christian (10 percent)
Ethnic Groups: Mossi (over 40 percent), other [including Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, and Fulani] (60 percent)
Capital: Ouagadougou

Overview

The government of President Blaise Compaore struggled with political instability in 2003, claiming that it had thwarted a coup plot during the year. Meanwhile, the country's economy suffered with the return of migrant workers fleeing violence in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire.

After gaining independence from France in 1960 as Upper Volta, Burkina Faso suffered a succession of army coups. In 1983, Compaore installed himself as president in a violent coup against members of a junta that had seized power four years earlier and had pursued a watered-down Marxist-Leninist ideology. The populist, charismatic President Thomas Sankara and 13 of his closest associates were murdered. More Sankara supporters were executed two years later.

The presidential poll of December 1991, in which Compaore was reelected by default, was marred by widespread violence and an opposition boycott by all five candidates challenging the incumbent. President Compaore was returned to office for a second 7-year term in November 1998 with nearly 88 percent of the vote. The election was marked by heavy use of state patronage, resources, and media by the ruling party.

The 2002 National Assembly elections were overseen by the reconstituted Independent National Electoral Commission and were considered among the most free and fair polls in Burkina Faso to date. The commission includes representatives from the government, civil society, and the opposition. The 2002 polls marked the first time that a simple ballot was used in voting, which was a measure that opposition parties had urged for several years. The ruling Congress for Democracy and Progress party won 57 of the 111 National Assembly seats, compared with 101 during the 1997 polls. Opposition parties in 2002 fared better than they had any time previously.

In October 2003, authorities arrested Norbert Tiendrebeogo, the leader of the opposition Social Forces Front party, along with 15 others in connection with an alleged coup plot. Most of those detained were military personnel. Authorities said the plot was backed by a neighboring country, apparently referring to Cote d'Ivoire. The Burkina Faso Movement for Human and People's Rights said that those detained had been held without charge for more than 20 days; three days are allowed by law.

Burkina Faso's economy was also on shaky ground during the year, suffering the effects of civil war in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire with the return of more than 300,000 Burkinabe migrant workers. Burkinabe, Muslims, and members of northern Ivorian ethnic groups were among those being targeted after Cote d'Ivoire accused Burkina Faso of supporting mutinous Ivorian soldiers in a September 2002 coup attempt that triggered the civil war. Many families in Burkina Faso depend on remittances from relatives working in Cote d'Ivoire. Relations between the two countries were improving toward the end of 2003, and rail links and trade routes were reopened. However, peace is not assured in Cote d'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso could experience further economic and political turbulence.

Burkina Faso is one of the world's poorest countries, although gains have been made in life expectancy, literacy, and school attendance. More than 80 percent of the population relies on subsistence agriculture.

Political Rights and Civil Liberties

The 1991 constitution guarantees people the right to elect their government freely through periodic multiparty elections. In practice, this right has not been fully realized.

Burkina Faso has a vibrant free press, and freedom of speech is protected by the constitution and generally respected in practice. There is some self-censorship. At least 50 private radio stations, a private television station, and numerous independent newspapers and magazines function with little governmental interference. The media, which are often highly critical of the government, play an important role in public debate. There is liberal Internet access.

Burkina Faso is a secular state, and religious freedom is respected.

Freedom of assembly is constitutionally protected and generally respected, with required permits usually issued routinely. However, demonstrations sometimes are violently suppressed or banned. Many nongovernmental organizations, including human rights groups, which have reported detailed accounts of abuses by security forces, operate openly and freely. Labor unions and their rights are provided for in the constitution. Unions are a strong force in society and routinely stage strikes about wages, human rights abuses, and the impunity of security forces.

The judiciary is subject to executive interference in political cases, but is more independent in civil and criminal cases. National security laws permit surveillance and arrest without warrants. Police routinely ignore prescribed limits on detention, search, and seizure. Security forces commit abuses with impunity, including torture and occasional extrajudicial killing. Prison conditions are harsh, characterized by overcrowding, poor diets, and minimal medical attention.

Constitutional and legal protections for women's rights are nonexistent or poorly enforced. Customary law sanctions discrimination against women. Female genital mutilation is still widely practiced, even though it is illegal and a government campaign has been mounted against it. Burkina Faso is used as a transit point for the trafficking of women and children for purposes of forced labor and prostitution, but the government has made an effort to stop this criminal activity.