The Flag of Burkina Faso

Government Overthrown in Burkina Faso

Explaining why and how the government in Burkina Faso was taken over.

On the 23 of January, there was a coup d’etat in the small African nation of Burkina Faso. When gunfire erupted in the early hours of Monday morning, Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba led troops into the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou. It was an effort to overthrow the current President for unsuccessful effort against the Islamic militants plaguing the country. Damiba then proceeded to arrest him and take over as leader of Burkina Faso. The Colonel became the official President on Monday the 31 of January 2022.

Burkina Faso is the fourth country to be taken by a coup in the last year and it will likely not be the last in the coming months. A wave of coups are sweeping through West Africa, and that poses a risk to the rest of the world. As more and more successful coups occur more and more people may want to overthrow their governments; before you know it a coup could be happening in your country.