Civil-Military Relations

As events in Burkina Faso move ahead at breakneck pace, I’m struck by how much they encapsulate different political struggles that have defined African protest since the anti-colonial period. Political transformations across Africa have rarely come piecemeal. Instead, they tend to come in waves, sweeping across the region and leaving massive social transformations in their wake.

Liberian security forces fired with “complete disregard for human life” into crowds of civilians protesting a blanket Ebola quarantine over the summer, killing one teenager and seriously wounding another young man, according to the first independent investigation of the deadly clashes.

Despite often rancorous discussion brokered by three African presidents, political and military leaders in Burkina Faso have failed to name a civilian to lead a transition to democracy after the resignation of President Blaise Compaoré.

This week, Turkey allowed roughly 150 Iraqi Kurds to transit Turkish territory in order to reinforce Kurdish forces defending the city of Kobani, Syria, which has been under siege by the Islamic State. President of Burkina Faso Blaise Campaore decided to step down following violent protests against efforts to amend the constitution to allow for his reelection. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto met with the families of dozens of students who went missing near the town of Iguala last month. The U.S.-appointed Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) published a series of major reports this week showing that U.S.-funded reconstruction efforts are currently hampered by a variety of issues.