Burkina Faso is relatively unknown in the west. A small, landlocked country, it enjoyed a brief blaze of publicity when a military officer, Thomas Sankara, took over the government and questioned many of the values of the international system. This happened in 1983 when the cold war was at its coldest, and Sankara's exposure to Marxist rhetoric provided an easy basis to challenge the western stranglehold on finances and markets. However, Sankara's profound belief in the integrity of his people, his support for the rights of women in his society, and his curtailment of corruption by officials ensured his wide popularity. 

Western, especially French interests sought to remove him, also after Sankara had called for the cancellation of all repayments to the IMF and other western banking systems. In 1987 a coup against Sankara placed his erstwhile compatriot, Blaise Compaoré, in power, and a period of stability ensued, with active support from France. Compaoré resigned in 2014 after 27 years in power and fled the country while a civilian government with the support of the army took over.

In April 2022, a Burkinabe court sentenced Compaoré, in absentia, to life incarceration for the overthrow of the government and the murder of Sankara. 

The fragile government of Burkina Faso was not able to manage tribal clashes and a growing Islamist rebellion, and on 30 September, Army officers took power to face an existential threat to their country. The coup was due to divisions within the military but also the lack of progress in fighting violent extremists. Ibrahim Traore, on being sworn in as President of Burkina Faso, undertook to lead a transition to civilian rule and 'the reconquest of territory occupied by these hordes of terrorists.'

West Africa has seen a growing trend of violence despite the best efforts of the regional organization ECOWAS. Criminal gangs and Islamist groups feed on governmental deceit and corruption. Failure by governments to act decisively prompted a series of coups by the military in Mali, Guinea, and Chad, while Nigeria and Ghana are also under threat. 

The waving of Russian flags at the inauguration of Traore emphasized the growing Russian influence in this region. Wagner's support of the Mali army resulted in an increase in civilian casualties, as is the case in other African countries. 

If you have a hammer, every problem begins to look like a nail. Military power grabs are usually the result of impatience by soldiers at the seeming unwillingness of civilian rulers to employ the use of force. While military forces are able to restore law and order, they are usually not qualified to create the basis for lasting peace, create national solidarity, and unite nations. Burkina Faso is a case in point. 

Sankara's ideal that every citizen of his country will share his ideal of a united country, needs to be reconsidered. Lasting peace can only be built on the compliance needs and wishes of the population.