The government undertook a series of political reforms after 1998, including the introduction of an independent electoral commission, a single-ballot voting system, public campaign financing, and a third vice presidential position in the legislature for the opposition leader. However, in December 1998, Norbert Zongo, a journalist investigating the death of an employee of Compaore’s brother, was assassinated. An independent investigative body concluded in 1999 that Zongo’s murder was linked to his reporting and identified six members of the presidential guard as suspects. Only one suspect was charged, and an appeals court dismissed the charges in August 2006, citing a lack of evidence.

The 2002 National Assembly elections were the first conducted without a significant opposition boycott. Compaore’s Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP) party won only 57 of the National Assembly’s 111 seats, compared with 101 in 1997. In 2000, a constitutional amendment had shortened presidential terms from seven to five years, and a 2001 amendment had limited presidents to two terms in office. However, the CDP argued that the latter change was not retroactive, and Compaore secured a third term in 2005. The country’s first municipal elections were held in 2006, with the CDP capturing nearly two-thirds of the local council seats. The CDP gained 16 seats in the May 2007 National Assembly elections, for a total of 73, while the largest opposition party, the Alliance for Democracy and Federation–African Democratic Rally (ADF-RDA) lost three seats, for a total of 14.

Civil unrest over the high cost of living erupted in late February 2008, following several months of price increases ranging from 10 to 65 percent. A two-day protest started on February 20 in the western city of Bobo-Dioulasso, with some protesters engaging in looting and property damage, leading to as many as 264 arrests. Mass demonstrations spread to other cities on February 21. The government on February 27 suspended taxes on certain imported food staples, but fresh riots broke out the next day in Ouagadougou due to public dissatisfaction with the government’s decision to lower import taxes rather than the prices of basic locally produced goods. Authorities arrested up to 184 protesters, according to some reports.

A court in Bobo-Dioulasso sentenced 29 riot suspects to between three and 36 months in prison on February 29. On March 11, a court in Ouagadougou sentenced Thibault Nana, leader of the small opposition Democratic and Popular Rally (RDP) party, to three years in prison for allegedly orchestrating the protests and 44 others to one year each for involvement in the unrest. Thousands protested again on March 15 in Ouagadougou and other towns against the high cost of living, but the demonstrations were peaceful and there were no reported arrests. Assane Sawadogo, the minister of security, was dismissed in September after facing criticism for his harsh response to the February riots.

Separately, clashes between farmers and nomads at the end of May in Poni and Bougouriba provinces in the southwest killed 15 people. The violence was ignited by the death of two farmers who were in police custody for previous involvement in clashes with nomads. In June, an unauthorized protest by students from the University of Ouagadougou ended in clashes with security forces. While 35 students were arrested, all but four were later acquitted, with the remainder receiving six-month jail sentences.

Compaore in July signed a five-year, $481 million development aid compact with the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation. The funds would be devoted to improvements in land security, agriculture, roads, and primary education. Burkina Faso is one of the world’s poorest countries, and approximately 85 percent of the population engages in subsistence agriculture. The economy is highly dependent on cotton exports, leaving it vulnerable to poor harvests and fluctuations in global prices.

Officials from Burkina Faso and Benin reached an agreement in March to end a long-standing border dispute over a 68-square-kilometer area of land. The agreement bars either side from engaging in any “visible sovereignty act” in the disputed area, and residents will be permitted to vote in either country. In a sign of improving relations with Cote d’Ivoire, that country’s president, Laurent Gbagbo, addressed the Burkinabe parliament during a three-day visit in July. Tensions had developed between the two countries over accusations by Ivorian authorities that Burkina Faso had backed rebels in the country’s north, and over accusations that Burkinabe living in Cote d’Ivoire experienced mistreatment.

Also during the year, several hundred Malian refugees fled fighting between the Malian government and Tuareg rebels, settling in Ouagadougou and in camps near the Malian border.