It seems as though much of the recent political landscapes in African countries revolve around the latest (sometimes justified) coups and how to deal with them and transfer power peacefully to a civilian government while avoiding ethnic and political cleanses from both the winning and losing parties. This ugly situation reared its head again when the president of Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaore, was ousted after facing mass protests against his decision to extend his 27-year rule. The army then swept in to take power after Compaore fled the country and has placed Lt. Col Isaac Zida as interim leader until power can be transferred to a civilian government.
The African Union (AU) has decreed that the army acted against the constitution when it took power after Compaore fled. Leaders from three neighboring countries (Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal) have met with the military government and have given Zida a two week window to hand over the government to a civilian transitional government. While Zida has agreed to the conditions, history has shown us that military leaders who take power through military means frequently find it difficult to hand the power back to civilian governments and either run for office themselves or simply turn the country into a military dictatorship. If the military doesn’t act within two weeks to begin the transition then Burkina Faso faces sanctions from AU countries including suspension of AU membership and travel bans for members of the military.
As mentioned, Lt. Col Zida has, so far, agreed to all of the terms set down by the AU nations and has been meeting with opposition activists and politicians and has claimed that if all parties are in agreement then there should be no issue with the two week transfer period. Opposition leaders have also announced that they’re not ruling out a role for the military in the transition and future governments but that still seems to be undecided.
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