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Vol 56 No 4

Published 20th February 2015


Burkina Faso

Between street and barracks

The country prepares for a democratic dawn at the October elections but stubborn soldiers want their privileges guaranteed

The mass movement that toppled President Blaise Compaoré last October is at increasing odds with the Régiment de sécurité présidentielle (RSP, AC Vol 55 No 22). The elite army unit killed at least ten civilians in cold blood during the mass unrest, says Amnesty International. A large demonstration in central Ouagadougou on 8 February saw civil society leaders call for the RSP to be disbanded as a threat to Burkina Faso's democratic transition. It worries civilians by making demands of the transitional government and requiring guarantees of its status and its role in national defence.

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