| Political Rights | 3 / 40 |
| Civil Liberties | 22 / 60 |
Two successive military coups in 2022 plunged Burkina Faso into political crisis, eliminating many of the significant political reforms that had been implemented after the 2014–15 transition from the rule of longtime President Blaise Compaoré. While civil society and organized labor remain strong forces for democracy, Burkinabè face continued insecurity and violence from armed extremist groups, militias, and government forces, causing widespread internal displacement. The stated goal of the military’s two illegal seizures of power was to address growing security and humanitarian crises, but insecurity has dramatically worsened since the takeovers. The ruling junta has acted unilaterally to entrench itself in power, postponing elections indefinitely and suppressing dissent.
- In May, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, the country’s military leader and transitional president, signed a new transitional charter that postponed the end of the transitional period by another five years, to 2029. Elections and a return civilian rule had been scheduled for July.
- The junta continued its efforts to suppress dissent during the year, targeting activists, political opponents, journalists, and judicial officials with arbitrary detentions, disappearances, and forced conscription into a national militia tasked with fighting Islamist militants.
- As the security situation deteriorated further, government forces were implicated in a series of extrajudicial killings; in one case, they were accused of massacring 223 people, including at least 56 children, in Yatenga Province in February. Hundreds of other civilians were killed by Islamist insurgents, including in an August assault on the town of Barsalogho that also reportedly killed numerous government troops and militia members.
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For additional background information, see last year’s full report.
| Was the current head of government or other chief national authority elected through free and fair elections? | 0 / 4 |
| Were the current national legislative representatives elected through free and fair elections? | 0 / 4 |
| Are the electoral laws and framework fair, and are they implemented impartially by the relevant election management bodies? | 0 / 4 |
| Do the people have the right to organize in different political parties or other competitive political groupings of their choice, and is the system free of undue obstacles to the rise and fall of these competing parties or groupings? | 1 / 4 |
| Is there a realistic opportunity for the opposition to increase its support or gain power through elections? | 0 / 4 |
| Are the people’s political choices free from domination by forces that are external to the political sphere, or by political forces that employ extrapolitical means? | 0 / 4 |
| Do various segments of the population (including ethnic, racial, religious, gender, LGBT+, and other relevant groups) have full political rights and electoral opportunities? | 1 / 4 |
| Do the freely elected head of government and national legislative representatives determine the policies of the government? | 0 / 4 |
| Are safeguards against official corruption strong and effective? | 1 / 4 |
| Does the government operate with openness and transparency? | 0 / 4 |
| Are there free and independent media? | 1 / 4 |
| Are individuals free to practice and express their religious faith or nonbelief in public and private? | 3 / 4 |
| Is there academic freedom, and is the educational system free from extensive political indoctrination? | 2 / 4 |
| Are individuals free to express their personal views on political or other sensitive topics without fear of surveillance or retribution? | 1 / 4 |
| Is there freedom of assembly? | 1 / 4 |
Score Change: The score declined from 2 to 1 because protests against the junta or its interests have been banned and dispersed, while supporters of the junta have been allowed to assemble.
| Is there freedom for nongovernmental organizations, particularly those that are engaged in human rights– and governance-related work? | 2 / 4 |
| Is there freedom for trade unions and similar professional or labor organizations? | 3 / 4 |
| Is there an independent judiciary? | 1 / 4 |
Score Change: The score declined from 2 to 1 because the junta used military conscription to intimidate and punish members of the judiciary who had pursued cases against its supporters.
| Does due process prevail in civil and criminal matters? | 1 / 4 |
| Is there protection from the illegitimate use of physical force and freedom from war and insurgencies? | 0 / 4 |
| Do laws, policies, and practices guarantee equal treatment of various segments of the population? | 1 / 4 |
| Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement, including the ability to change their place of residence, employment, or education? | 1 / 4 |
| Are individuals able to exercise the right to own property and establish private businesses without undue interference from state or nonstate actors? | 1 / 4 |
| Do individuals enjoy personal social freedoms, including choice of marriage partner and size of family, protection from domestic violence, and control over appearance? | 2 / 4 |
| Do individuals enjoy equality of opportunity and freedom from economic exploitation? | 2 / 4 |
