Current Conditions in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is a presidential republic. In November 2010 President Blaise Compaore was reelected to a fourth term with more than 80 percent of the vote. Despite some irregularities and the resource advantage held by the president, international observers considered the election to have been free and transparent. The president, assisted by members of his party, the Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP), continued to dominate the government. The CDP won a majority in the 2007 legislative elections, which observers declared generally free and orderly despite irregularities, including fraud involving voter identification cards. There were instances in which elements of the security forces acted independently of civilian control. Major human rights problems included security force use of excessive force against civilians, criminal suspects, and detainees; abuse of prisoners and harsh prison conditions; and societal violence and discrimination against women and children, including female genital mutilation. Other major abuses included arbitrary arrest and detention, judicial inefficiency and lack of independence, official corruption, trafficking in persons, discrimination against persons with disabilities, and child labor. The government took steps to prosecute individuals in the police and military accused of human rights abuse. However, impunity remained a problem in the country.