Burkina Faso – Regime trouble (update)

Events in the Middle East or Arab ‘spring’ are overshadowing dissatisfaction that is manifesting itself elsewhere. In that regard, Burkina Faso may be about to enter the news.

President Blaise Compaoré was easily re-elected in November 2010, though turnout was low at 54.8% according to the new-look African Elections website. Anyway, over the past few weeks, there has been growing discontent with the regime. There were student demonstrations in March that spread more widely. There has also been unrest within the military

Now, there is a report from Jeune Afrique that there was a mutiny within the presidential guard yesterday evening. According to the report, the rebellion was due to the non-payment of a wage rise. Apparently, discussions are under way, but this is another sign that the Compaoré regime may be weakening.

In an update, President Compaoré has issued a decree dissolving the government and stating that the general secretaries of the government departments are in charge of day-to-day business. The decree is available in French here.

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