After Compaoré: discussing "the Ivorian policy” of the new government of Burkina Faso

Following the collapse of the Compaoré regime in 2014, Burkina Faso is witnessing a shift in its foreign policy. One of the challenges for the country is to maintain its diplomatic influence in the region. This crisis with Côte d’Ivoire, which resulted from the arrest warrant released by Burkina Faso against Guillaume Soro, is a test for the new President Roch Kabore. Regarding Côte d’Ivoire as a threat for its government, President Kaboré has to mediate between the quest for justice of its population and the need to maintain a peaceful relationship with Côte d’Ivoire, an emerging regional power since the end of the civil war in 2011. Despite the political will of both countries to settle the conflict peacefully, political tensions in their domestic politics are likely to worsen the stability of the Abidjan-Ouagadougou diplomatic axis in the following years.

(Photo credit: commons.wikimedia.org - President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré)