Country profile · West Africa
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is a landlocked West African country of about 24 million people. Captain Ibrahim Traoré has ruled since a coup in September 2022, the second that year. He has dissolved all political parties and said democracy is "not for us". Jihadist groups hold large parts of the country. Gold makes up about nine-tenths of exports.
Where Burkina Faso ranks
All rankings →Which alliances is Burkina Faso in?
All alliances →Who runs Burkina Faso?
Captain Ibrahim Traoré, born on March 14, 1988, seized power on September 30, 2022. He ousted Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who had overthrown the elected president, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, in January 2022. It was the second coup in eight months. A charter adopted in May 2024 extended military rule to July 2029 and let Traoré run in a future election. On January 29, 2026 all political parties were dissolved. On March 27, 2026 the appointed assembly replaced the transition charter with a "Charter of the Revolution". No election date is set. In April 2026 Traoré told state TV that democracy is "not for us". The government says it has foiled several coup plots, the latest set for January 3, 2026. It blamed Damiba, whom Togo handed over on January 17, 2026. Critics, journalists and judges have been drafted into the army. Online, AI-made videos present Traoré as the heir of Thomas Sankara, the revolutionary leader who renamed the country Burkina Faso in 1984 and was killed in 1987.
Photo (2023): Lamine Traoré, Voice of America, Wikimedia Commons, public domain (cropped)
Who are Burkina Faso's allies and rivals?
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, all run by soldiers, formed the Alliance of Sahel States in September 2023. They left the West African bloc ECOWAS on January 29, 2025. They launched a joint force of about 5,000 troops, based in Niamey, in December 2025. Captain Ibrahim Traoré has chaired the alliance since December 23, 2025. The first formal talks with ECOWAS were held in Dakar on October 17, 2026. Russia reopened its embassy in December 2023, and about 100 Russian Africa Corps troops arrived in January 2024. A nuclear power deal with Russia's Rosatom followed in 2025. Turkey sells the army armed drones. Burkina ordered French special forces out in January 2023. On June 26, 2026 it broke off diplomatic relations with France altogether. Traoré accuses Côte d'Ivoire of sheltering coup plotters, which Abidjan denies. The United States has barred Burkinabè citizens from entering since January 1, 2026, but the two governments began regular talks on October 8, 2026.
Allies and partners
Rivals
FranceTroops expelled in 2023; ties cut in June 2026
Côte d'IvoireAccused of sheltering coup plotters- JNIMAl-Qaeda's Sahel branch, the main armed group
- Islamic State Sahel ProvinceRival jihadists in the northeast
- Ouagadougou The capital. Burkina's first gold refinery opened here on September 28, 2026.
- Djibo Northern town under JNIM blockade. In May 2025 JNIM killed more than 100 people and briefly held it.
- Barsalogho JNIM killed at least 133 people digging trenches on August 24, 2024 (Human Rights Watch). Other estimates reach 600.
- Diapaga Eastern town reached only by army convoys. One convoy of about 300 trucks took 22 days in 2026.
- Burkina Faso
- Partner
- Tensions
Who does Burkina Faso trade with?
Burkina Faso exported about $5.6 billion of goods in 2024 and imported about $6.4 billion (UN Comtrade). Gold made up about four-fifths of exports, and Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates bought 82% of everything sold abroad (chart). In 2025 gold prices rose about 44%, and customs data show exports rising 88%, with gold at about 91% of the total. That year the UAE overtook Switzerland as the main buyer of Burkinabè gold. China, Côte d'Ivoire and Russia were the biggest suppliers in 2024. Burkina is also a major cotton grower, and the state nationalized the cotton company SOFITEX in April 2026. The economy grew 5.3% in 2025. In June 2026 the IMF cut its 2026 forecast to 3.6%, because the war in the Middle East pushed up the price of fuel and fertilizer. In September 2026 Ghana's state fuel company cut deliveries to Burkina and Mali. Government debt was 53.4% of GDP in 2025.
Sells to
Share of Burkina Faso's exports
Switzerland56.2%
United Arab Emirates26.2%- Côte d'Ivoire2.9%
Mali2.3%
Ghana1.5%
Goods, 2024, as reported by Burkina Faso. UN Comtrade.
Who is fighting in Burkina Faso?
Jihadist violence spread into Burkina Faso from Mali from 2015. The strongest group is JNIM, al-Qaeda's branch in the Sahel. Its rival, Islamic State Sahel Province, fought it near the Mali border in September and October 2026. The government says it controlled 74.53% of the country in June 2026. Independent estimates by ACAPS and the Africa Center for Strategic Studies say only about 40% is under government control. UCDP counted almost 4,450 deaths in 2025, the fourth-highest toll in Africa (chart). The army and its civilian militia, the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland, have also killed many civilians. Human Rights Watch counted more than 1,800 civilians killed between January 2023 and August 2025, more than 1,200 of them by government forces and their allies. It called attacks on Fulani communities "ethnic cleansing". The last official count, from March 2023, found 2.06 million people displaced inside the country. Another 351,000 Burkinabè were refugees abroad at the end of 2025.
Who controls Burkina Faso's gold?
Burkina Faso produced a record of more than 94 tonnes of gold in 2025. About 42 tonnes came from small artisanal mines. Since 2024 the junta has taken a bigger share. A mining code of July 2024 gives the state a free 15% of each mine and the right to buy at least 30% more. By June 2025 the state had taken over the Boungou and Wahgnion mines from foreign owners and handed them to its own mining company, SOPAMIB. In July 2026 SOPAMIB got a permit for the first mine built entirely by the state. Since February 2024 a state buyer, SONASP, has held the monopoly on exporting artisanal gold. On September 28, 2026 Captain Ibrahim Traoré opened Raffinor-BF, the country's first gold refinery. It can handle 164 tonnes a year. Mining earned 18.9% of government revenue in 2025, and with gold at about $4,150 an ounce in October 2026 the budget deficit has shrunk.