Burkina Faso was a pan-colonial African country for 70 years, at the time its primary use was to serve as direct access from the coastal colonies to countries such as Mali and Niger.

Although the country has few natural resources, historically gold and cotton have been the country’s main international trade, totaling up to 70% of the country’s exports. After the country’s independence from France in 1960, they elected a president Maurice Yameogo who later resigned by a revolution led by Thomas Sankara a communist and pan-Africanist theorist.

Sankara is loved by the people of Burkina Faso until this day for his admired projects in improving the country. Some of his achievements were increasing the literacy rate from 13% to 73% in a matter of 4 years, planting over 10 million trees to prevent desertification, building roads and railways, vaccinating 2.5 million children, encouraging women to work, and even appointed them to high governmental positions.

Sankara was assassinated by Blaise Compaore who was eventually taken over by the youth revolts and resigned. This led to intense negotiation between political and military leaders with Michel Kafando being chosen as the interim president.

In 2015, terrorist attacks began in Burkina Faso as former president Blaise Compaore fled the country, leaving citizens in a very vulnerable situation. Roch Marc Christian Kaboré was later elected president, but that did not help stabilize the country nor did it end the rise of terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso.

Burkina Faso currently has more than 40% of the population living below the poverty line.

Increased exposure to attacks by armed terrorist groups led over one million Burkinabé to flee their homes. This large flow of people puts pressure on the host communities’ production and consumption structure, creating a humanitarian crisis. In 2022, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba stepped into power promising Burkinabé safety and a re-establishment of the country.