Items related to "Human Security Gateway: Burkina Faso". Sat, 17 May 2008 0:30:19 +0000 Sat, 17 May 2008 0:30:19 +0000 robert_hartfiel@sfu.ca (Robert Hartfiel) Wed, 14 May 2008 12:51:54 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24354 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24354 Ce rapport contient des résumés sur les régions suivants: Afrique australe, Afrique de l’Est, Afrique de l’Ouest et Afrique centrale, et Afrique centrale, et aussi sur les thèmes suivantes: le double défi de la tuberculose et du VIH, circonsion masculine et préventions du VIH, epidémies latentes parmi les hommes ayant des rapports sexuels avec des hommes, la consommation de drogues injectables: un facteur croissant dans plusiers épidémies de VIH de L'Afrique Subsaharienne, et signes de changements vers des comportements à moindre risque. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Programme Commun Des Nations Unies Sur le VIH/SIDA Nations Unies // Programme Commun Des Nations Unies Sur le VIH/SIDA Wed, 14 May 2008 11:35:42 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24338 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24338 Le Rapport sur la gouvernance en Afrique est le fruit de larges travaux de recherche sur les pratiques de gouvernance entrepris dans 27 pays africains par la Commission économique pour l’Afrique (CEA), par l’intermédiaire d’instituts nationaux de recherche, qui ont recueilli, ensemble par échantillonnage, les opinions de plus de 50 000 ménages et de 2 000 experts. Les conclusions, soumises à la CEA entre 2002 et 2004, ont fait l’objet d’un processus rigoureux d’examens auxquels ont participé des experts nationaux et internationaux travaillant sur la gouvernance et les questions politiques et économiques. Ce rapport est la première grande étude de ce type initiée par les pays africains, qui vise à analyser de façon empirique les opinions des citoyens quant à l’état de la gouvernance dans leurs pays, tout en mettant en évidence les principaux déficits de capacité dans les pratiques et institutions de gouvernance et en recommandant des pratiques optimales et des solutions pour y faire face. On s’est attaché à assurer l’appropriation locale de l’ensemble empirique de résultats afin de renforcer l’efficacité et la légitimité de la prise de décisions et de l’effort de sensibilisation aux niveaux national et infrarégional. Les données ainsi générées peuvent être utilisées pour mesurer la performance des gouvernements et de toutes les principales parties prenantes dans leur réponse aux préoccupations exprimées par les citoyens et pour suivre la mesure dans laquelle le contrat qu’ils ont passé entre eux est respecté. Nous avons pris soin de ne pas être trop directif. Le Rapport sur la gouvernance en Afrique contient des recommandations qui découlent essentiellement des réalités propres aux pays, car, pour être durable, la gouvernance doit être replacée dans son contexte et internalisée. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Commission économique pour l'Afrique Nations Unies // Commission économique pour l'Afrique Wed, 14 May 2008 11:02:26 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24335 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24335 Le présent rapport fait la synthèse de la première grande étude continentale visant à mesurer et contrôler les « Progrès accomplis sur la voie de la bonne gouvernance en Afrique », entreprise par la Commission économique pour l’Afrique. Dans le cadre de cette étude, des enquêtes et des recherches ont été menées sur 28 pays. Les résultats complets et l’analyse de l’étude seront publiés en 2005 dans le premier «Rapport sur la gouvernance en Afrique ». La CEA a entrepris ce travail pour évaluer l’idée que les citoyens se font de l’état de la gouvernance en Afrique, pour rassembler des informations sur les meilleures pratiques et pour identifier les principaux besoins de la région en matière de développement des capacités. Le projet a identifié quatre tendances positives sur la voie de la création d’États compétents en Afrique: transitions démocratiques, ouverture politique, liberté d’expression et obligation comptable, et gestion économique. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Commission économique pour l'Afrique Nations Unies // Commission économique pour l'Afrique Wed, 07 May 2008 10:55:58 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24188 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24188 Généralités: Les données fiables sur les conséquences obstétricales des mutilations génitales féminines sont rares. L’étude porte sur les effets des différents types de mutilations sur le devenir obstétrical des femmes. Méthodes: 28 393 femmes se présentant pour une naissance unique entre novembre 2001 et mars 2003 dans 28 centres d’obstétrique au Burkina Faso, au Ghana, au Kenya, au Nigéria, au Sénégal et au Soudan, ont été examinées avant l’accouchement pour vérifier si elles avaient subi des mutilations ou pas, et ont été classées selon le système de l’OMS : mutilation de type I, excision du prépuce, avec ou sans excision partielle ou totale du clitoris ; mutilation de type II, excision du clitoris, avec excision partielle ou totale des petites lèvres ; mutilation de type III, excision partielle ou totale des organes génitaux externes et suture ou rétrécissement de l’orifice vaginal (infibulation). Des informations prospectives sur les facteurs démographiques, sanitaires et génésiques ont été recueillies. Les participantes et leurs nouveau-nés ont été suivis jusqu’à la sortie de la mère de l’hôpital. Interprétation: Les femmes qui ont subi des mutilations génitales féminines ont une probabilité nettement plus élevée de complications obstétricales que celles qui n’en ont pas subi. Il semble aussi que le risque augmente avec l’ampleur de la mutilation. SOURCE: Organisation mondiale de la santé Organisation mondiale de la santé Fri, 04 Apr 2008 11:03:24 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23412 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23412 An analysis of the imagery on postage stamps suggests that regimes in Sudan and Burkina Faso have pursued very different strategies in representing the nation. Sudan’s stamps focus on the political center and dominant elite (current regime, Khartoum politicians, and Arab and Islamic identity) while Burkina Faso’s stamps focus on society (artists, multiple ethnic groups, and development). Sudan’s stamps build an image of the nation as being about the northern-dominated regime in Khartoum (whether military or parliamentary); Burkina Faso’s stamps project an image of the nation as multi-ethnic and development-oriented. SOURCE: African Studies Quarterly African Studies Quarterly Fri, 01 Feb 2008 11:36:02 -0800 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22131 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=22131 Le Comité de Coordination des Peuples Autochtones d'Afrique (IPACC) est un réseau d'organisations des peuples autochtones d'Afrique. C'est une organisation regroupant des membres adhérents. Toute organisation légitime composée de peuples autochtones africains peut présenter une demande d'adhésion à l'IPACC. D'autres associations opérant dans les domaines du développement, droits de l'homme ou droits autochtones, peuvent présenter une demande d'adhésion en tant qu'associées (sans droit de vote). Les membres élisent un Comité Exécutif représentant cinq régions d'Afrique auquel s'ajoute une représentante régionale des femmes autochtones. Les peuples autochtones sahélo-sahariens jouèrent un rôle prépondérant dans la naissance de cet outils qu’est l’IPACC. En effet le Sahel et le Sahara comptent en leur sein des peuples très militants qui, dans la même période étaient en armes contre le Niger, le Mali et le Tchad, pour la prise en compte de leurs identités dans ces jeunes pays nés de la décolonisation des années 60. Ces peuples sont : les touareg (nom donné à la partie sud de la nation AMAZIGH qui couvre tout le nord de l’Afrique), les Toubous, les peuls Woodaabè et les Ogoni du delta du Niger au Nigeria. SOURCE: Le Comité de Coordination des Peuples Autochtones d'Afrique Le Comité de Coordination des Peuples Autochtones d'Afrique Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:48:03 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=20365 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=20365 Regional leaders created the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on May 28, 1975 in Lagos, Nigeria. ECOWAS is comprised of 15 countries, which include: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire , The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria , Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. The leaders established ECOWAS to promote regional integration and economic growth in West Africa, as well as to create a monetary union in the region. However, ECOWAS has encountered problems in the process of regional integration including: political instability and lack of good governance that has plagued many member countries, the insufficient diversification of national economies, the absence of reliable infrastructure, and the multiplicity of organizations for regional integration with the same objectives. SOURCE: Energy Information Administration Energy Information Administration Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:47:56 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=20268 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=20268 Burkina Faso is a parliamentary republic. President Blaise Compaore continued to dominate the Government of the Fourth Republic, assisted by members of his party, the Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP), despite gains made by the opposition in the 2002 legislative elections. In 1998, President Compaore was reelected to a second 7-year term with 88 percent of the vote. International observers considered the 2002 legislative elections to have been substantially free and fair, although a collective of 14 local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) cited voter list irregularities and cases of fraud. The judiciary was subject to executive influence and corruption. The security apparatus consists of the armed forces and the gendarmerie, which are controlled by the Ministry of Defense; the national police, controlled by the Ministry of Security; and the municipal police, controlled by the Ministry of Territorial Administration. The Presidential Guard is an autonomous security force, although technically it is subject to the jurisdiction of the armed forces and part of the army. The civilian authorities maintained effective control of the security forces. Some members of the security forces committed serious human rights abuses. SOURCE: U.S. Department of State U.S. Department of State Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:38 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=18254 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=18254 SOURCE: HIV InSite Database of Country and Regional Indicators // Center for HIV Information // University of California San Francisco HIV InSite Database of Country and Regional Indicators // Center for HIV Information // University of California San Francisco Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:46:31 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=18126 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=18126 SOURCE: Protection Project // School of Advanced International Studies // Johns Hopkins University Protection Project // School of Advanced International Studies // Johns Hopkins University Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:45:16 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=15509 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=15509 Although civil wars have become the dominant form of conflict in the 1990s, international actors can still help prevent, reduce, or resolve them. The author concludes that there are a range of options available to international actors seeking to mediate these conflicts, but the attempt to do good, if poorly planned and lacking in strategy, can also be harmful. In surveying the recent literature on international actors and internal conflicts, the author also argues that intervening states must better clarify their fundamental national foreign policy and security interests, as well as the ethics of choice among tools, approaches, and cases of intervention. SOURCE: Rockefeller Brothers Foundation Rockefeller Brothers Foundation Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:45:04 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=14945 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=14945 Trafficking in Persons has become a major concern for all countries of Western Africa. The Meeting of ECOWAS Heads of States, in December 2001, adopted a Declaration and the ECOWAS Plan of Action against Trafficking in Persons (2002-2003). It directed the ECOWAS Executive Secretariat to prepare proposals for controlling trafficking in persons in the sub-region, with special consideration to the situation of trafficked children. The UNODC project FS/RAF/04/R60 on the "Assistance for the Implementation of the ECOWAS Plan of Action against Trafficking in Persons" will strengthen the capacity of the ECOWAS Secretariat and its Member States in implementing the ECOWAS Plan of Action, particularly as it relates to assessment of existing national legislation and the drafting of new legislation in response to the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children. This Manual presents the definitions of trafficking in human beings and smuggling of migrants as well as general guidelines on investigation and prosecution of cases related to trafficking in human beings, with a focus on cooperation between ECOWAS Member States. This Manual is to be used as reference material and in training activities under the project. SOURCE: United Nations // United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime United Nations // United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:43:17 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=10611 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=10611 In 1960, Upper Voltaxe2x80x94a landlocked area that was part of French West Africaxe2x80x94became independent with Maurice Yameogo as its first head of state. In 1966, Sangoulé Lamizana led a coup to topple Yameogo's government, following a series of austerity measures. SOURCE: Angus Reid Consultants Angus Reid Consultants Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:43:11 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=10498 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=10498 Website of the Africa Union. SOURCE: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:42:56 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=9777 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=9777 Islam is the fastest growing religion on the African sub continent and has a significant presence in an array of states. While mystical and often syncretic variants of Sufi Islam are evident in much of East and West Africa, the austere, illiberal Wahabi sect, coming out of Saudi Arabia, has found a growing audience in these regions and in the Horn. The consequent battle for the heart of African Islam constitutes an important part of the African religious landscape, with implications for both internal African politics and relations with the United States. SOURCE: United States Institute of Peace United States Institute of Peace Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:42:19 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=8195 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=8195 Dans la perspective d'un développement durable, en vue d'un monde plus juste et équitable, le Centre de solidarité internationale (CSI) travaille ici à mettre en xc5x93uvre des actions de solidarité internationale avec la population du Saguenay - Lac-St-Jean et à réaliser un travail d'ouverture sur le monde, notamment auprxc3xa8s des jeunes et outre-mer à soutenir des programmes de coopération qui #permettent à des communautés de pays du Sud d'acquérir les moyens techniques, matériels et humains pour prendre en charge leur propre développement. SOURCE: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:42:04 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=7460 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=7460 West Africa is a region with a history of senseless wars that have often targeted civilians rather than combatants. In October 1998, Heads of State and Governments of the 16 member states of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)1 formally signed the Moratorium on the importation, exportation, and manufacture of small arms and light weapons (SALW). ECOWAS Member States adopted a code of conduct as well as a plan of action for the implementation of the Moratorium. The creation of national commissions for the fight against illicit trade and possession of small arm, verification strategies, and introduction of enduser certificates constitute major highlights of the document. This article provides a review of events in West Africa that have challenged the effectiveness and relevance of the Moratorium in addressing the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the region. SOURCE: Institute for Security Studies Institute for Security Studies Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:42:04 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=7470 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=7470 Situated in between Ghana and Benin, with a coastline of no more than 56km, Togo is one of Africa's smallest countries. However, what has habitually been a little talked about West African nation holds a long history of political unrest and has recently entered into a phase of instability in the beginning of 2005. Civil society members and organizations are now regrouped in the WANEP network, (West African Network for Peacebuilding) in a joint effort to set a national agenda toward reconciliation, peace and security and lead the way in facing Togo's unprecedented public health, development and education challenges. SOURCE: Sciences Po // Center For Peace And Human Security Sciences Po // Center For Peace And Human Security Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:41:49 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=6330 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=6330 The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS/CEDEAO) is well known for its military intervention in Liberia and Sierra Leone. ECOWAS was created in 1975 to replace the Customs Union of West African States originally created in 1959 to redistribute customs duties collected by the coastal states of West Africa. The Treaty on the Economic Community of West African States was revised at the Cotonou Summit of July 1993 to replace the inexistent Tribunal originally envisioned with a Community Court of Justice. SOURCE: Project on International Courts and Tribunals // African International Courts and Tribunals Project on International Courts and Tribunals // African International Courts and Tribunals Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:41:49 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=6331 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=6331 The Common Court of Justice and Arbitration (CCJA) is the court of the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA), one of the most successful regional legal harmonization efforts on the Continent. Unlike the other continental regional integration groups, OHADA does not seek to conform national law to an overarching treaty and successive regulations and directives, which allow national legislature some leeway. Instead, OHADA uses the integration method of issuing binding uniform acts that automatically supercede all prior and future inconsistent national laws. With the goal of creating a secure, simple and modern legal framework for the conduct of business in Africa, OHADA has issued eight uniform acts on general commercial law, commercial companies and economic interest groups, securities, arbitration, simplified recovery procedures and measures of execution, collective insolvency and accounting. SOURCE: Project on International Courts and Tribunals // African International Courts and Tribunals Project on International Courts and Tribunals // African International Courts and Tribunals Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:41:49 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=6334 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=6334 The West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) was established when the CFA was devalued in order to ensure coherent monetary and economic policy among the states of the CFA zone. The Court of Justice is intended to assist in the enforcement of that coherence. The Court of Justice, alongside the Court of Auditors, functions as the juridical arm of WAEMU, with automatic jurisdiction over all Member States of the Union. Avoiding the perennial delays seen in the entry into force of the Protocol Establishing the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, the Treaty provided that the Protocol on the Court would be an integral part of the Treaty with no need for ratifications. Addressing further the Continental problem of implementation, the Treaty required that the Court come into being within six months of the Treaty entering into force. With financial help from France and the European Union, these Treaty provisions were fulfilled and the first judges of the Court were sworn in on January 27, 1985. Not meeting the three month deadline in the Treaty, the judges fully operationalized the Court by promulgating #the Rules of Procedure in July 1986. In 1997, the addition of Guinea Bissau to WAEMU resulted in the expansion of the bench to nine judges. The Additional Act that initiating this expansion also included the specification that judges on the Court are chosen from among those persons guaranteeing independence and juridical competence, emphasizing that the Court is to be wholly separate from the political sphere of the Union. SOURCE: Project on International Courts and Tribunals // African International Courts and Tribunals Project on International Courts and Tribunals // African International Courts and Tribunals Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:41:48 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=6241 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=6241 After a feasibility study conducted throughout the sub-region, representatives of seven West African countries in 1998 officially launched WANEP in Accra Ghana. They created WANEP as a mechanism to harness peacebuilding initiatives and to strengthen collective interventions that were already bearing good fruits in Liberia, the Northern Region of Ghana, and Sierra Leone. SOURCE: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:41:48 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=6283 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=6283 The recirculation of weapons is undermining efforts by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the international community to curb the illicit trafficking of small arms in the ECOWAS region. Worryingly, the leakage of state-owned weapons through theft, seizure, and corruption is a primary source of small arms and light weapons for many armed groups. This report documents more than 30 armed groups that have operated in ECOWAS member states since 1998, the year the Moratorium on Importation, Exportation and Manufacture of Light Weapons in West Africa was adopted. This represents the tip of the iceberg. More than 100 groups exist in Nigeria's River State alone, but detailed information is difficult to obtain. SOURCE: Small Arms Survey // Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva Small Arms Survey // Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:41:37 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=5330 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=5330 Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a surgical procedure performed on the genitals of girls and women in many parts of the world. The term FGM covers a range of procedures, which are also referred to as female circumcision and introcision. FGM is found extensively in Africa and is also indigenous to other parts of the world. The age and time at which FGM is practised differs from community to community, and can be carried out from as early as a few days after birth, to immediately after the birth of a woman's first child. One of the notable trends in global FGM today is the progressive lowering of the age at which girls undergo the practice. SOURCE: Integrated Regional Information Networks Integrated Regional Information Networks Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:41:12 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=2827 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=2827 In the post-Cold War era West Africa has been inundated by crises. Most of the crises that followed the removal of the superpower umbrella were internal - a shift from inter-state wars to intra-state wars. As most other regions of the world were basking in the newly found post-Cold War peace dividend, West Africa had to deal with different kinds of challenges, some of which took violent form and in some cases posed a serious challenge to the very existence of the state. The failure by some of these states to reach a peaceful resolution to domestic pressures often led to violent outbursts with serious security implications for the region. For instance, the decade-long conflicts in the Mano River Basin (Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia) have led to the massive flow of small arms and light weapons (SALW) into the region. The continuing, unchecked proliferation of these tools of war has contributed to sustaining some of the most brutal conflicts that the citizens of the Mano River Basin countries, in particular, and West Africa, in general, have experienced in the post-Cold War era. SOURCE: Project Ploughshares // Canadian Peacebuilding Coordinating Committee Project Ploughshares // Canadian Peacebuilding Coordinating Committee Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:40:52 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=927 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=927 This paper examines food security in the context of conflict in West Africa. The analysis developed in the paper recognises the importance of defining conflict type and the trends in conflict so that conflict and post-conflict policies may be implemented. The relationship between food security and conflict is analysed. Whilst conflict exacerbates food security, food insecurity can itself fuel conflict. Strategies designed to assist in post-war rehabilitation need to address key dimensions of food security: availability, access and stability. It is argued in this paper, that consideration of these three dimensions are necessary joint conditions in moving towards a reduction in the numbers of hungry. The cases of Sierra Leone and Liberia are examined to consider the nature of conflict and how food security is being addresses and the necessary policy implications after prolonged violent conflict. Ghana is examined as an analytical contrast to show that the absence of conflict is not a sufficient condition for growth and reduced hunger. SOURCE: United Nations // Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations // FAO Economic and Social Department // United Nations // Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations // FAO Economic and Social Department // Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:40:49 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=671 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=671 Burkina Faso, formerly known as Upper Volta, achieved self-government in 1958, and full independence in 1960 from France. Burkina Faso's high population density and limited natural resources haved resulted in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Recent unrest in Cote d'Ivoire and northern Ghana has hindered the ability of several hundred thousand seasonal Burkinabe farm workers to find employment in neighboring countries. Burkina Faso has had an extremely unstable history since its independence and multiple coups have been staged. Thefirst military coup occurred in 1966, but then succumbed to another coup in 1978, which deposed the then President Yaméogo, suspended the constitution, dissolved the National Assembly, and placed Lt. Col. Sangoulé Lamizana at the head of a government, which was composed of senior army officers. SOURCE: Globalsecurity.org Globalsecurity.org