Burkina Faso Armed Forces

The Burkina Faso Armed Forces (French: Forces armées du

Burkina Faso Armed Forces
Burkina Faso) is the term used for the national military of Burkina
Faso. The service branches of the armed forces include its Army, Air Forces armées du Burkina Faso
Force, National Gendarmerie and People's Militia. Being a landlocked Current form 1985
country, Burkina Faso has no navy.
Service Burkina Faso Army
branches Air Force of Burkina
Faso
Contents National
History Gendarmerie
People's Militia
Ground forces
Equipment Headquarters Ouagadougou

Air Force Leadership

Aircraft President Roch Marc
Christian Kaboré
Notes
Minister of Roch Marc
References
Defense and Christian Kaboré
Further reading
Veteran
Affairs

History Chief of Brigadier General

General Staff Moise Minoungou
In 1966 a military coup deposed the first president of Upper Volta, Manpower
Maurice Yaméogo, suspended the constitution, dissolved the National
Active 11,200 (IISS
Assembly, and placed Lieutenant Colonel Sangoulé Lamizana at the
personnel estimate 2012:
head of a government of senior army officers. The army remained in
power for 4 years; on June 14, 1970, the Voltans ratified a new Army 6,400, Air
constitution that established a 4-year transition period toward 600, Gendarmerie
complete civilian rule. Lamizana remained in power throughout the 4,200)
1970s as president of military or mixed civil-military governments. Expenditures
After conflict over the 1970 constitution, a new constitution was
Percent of 1.2% (2006)[1]
written and approved in 1977, and Lamizana was reelected by open
elections in 1978. GDP
Related articles
Lamizana's government faced problems with the country's
History Agacher Strip War
traditionally powerful trade unions and on November 25, 1980,
Colonel Saye Zerbo overthrew President Lamizana in a bloodless Sierra Leone Civil
coup. Colonel Zerbo established the Military Committee of Recovery War
for National Progress as the supreme governmental authority, thus Insurgency in the
eradicating the 1977 constitution. Maghreb
Ranks Military ranks of
Colonel Zerbo also encountered resistance from trade unions and was
overthrown two years later on November 7, 1982, by Major Dr. Jean- Burkina Faso
Baptiste Ouédraogo and the Council of Popular Salvation (CSP). The
CSP continued to ban political parties and organisations, yet promised a transition to civilian rule and a new
constitution.
Factional infighting developed between moderates in the CSP and radicals led by Captain Thomas Sankara,
who was appointed prime minister in January 1983. The internal political struggle and Sankara's leftist rhetoric
led to his arrest and subsequent efforts to bring about his release, directed by Captain Blaise Compaoré. This
release effort resulted in yet another military coup d'état on August 4, 1983. Compaoré came to power in a
1987 coup that led to the death of Sankara.

On February 15, 2011, soldiers mutinied in Ouagadougou over unpaid housing allowances.[2] On April 18,
2011, it was reported that the mutiny had spread to Kaya after demonstrations in Pô and Tenkodogo.[3] On
April 29, 2011, the army said the mutiny would end after Compaoré promised to improve the military's
housing, clothing and food allowances,[4] though there were later protests by soldiers.[5][6]

After a coup by members of the Regiment of Presidential Security on September 16, 2015, army units
marched on Ouagadougou to oppose the coup, resulting in the restoration of Burkina Faso's transitional
government (which was appointed after the 2014 Burkinabe uprising) on September 23, 2015.

Ground forces
The Army of Burkina Faso (L'Armée de Terre or LAT – Ground
Forces) is a skeletonised force structure of some 5,800–6,000 officers
and men, augmented by a conscript force or People's Militia of some
45,000 men and women. Unlike the police and security forces, the
Army and the People's Militia are organised along Soviet/Chinese
models and precepts. The Army is equipped with light wheeled
armoured cars, some mounting cannon.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies estimated in 2011–12 Soldiers from Burkina Faso before
that Burkina Faso had 6,400 personnel in L'Armée de Terre in three deployment to an exercise in Mali
military regions, one tank battalion (two tank platoons), five infantry (2010)
regiments that may be under-strength, and an airborne regiment.
Artillery and engineer battalions are also listed.[7]

In recent years, the United States has begun providing military assistance and training to Burkina Faso's
ground forces. It has trained three 750-man battalions for peace support operations in Darfur. During a recent
UN inspection, a U.S. Department of Defense evaluation team found Burkina's Laafi battalion fit to deploy to
Sudan. Using a small Department of Defense International Military Education and Training (IMET) budget,
the U.S. Embassy has established English-language courses at an LAT military base, and has brought LAT
officers to attend officer basic training courses in the U.S. The government of Burkina Faso has also accepted
additional U.S. training assistance in counter-terrorism tactics and humanitarian assistance. Burkina Faso has
recently become a member of the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP).[8]

Three years of increasingly frequent and deadly attacks, by various jihadist groups, prompted the replacement
of the Army Chief of Staff, General Oumarou Sadou, appointed three years ago with the same mandate, with
General Moise Minoungou on 6 January 2019.[9][10]

There is a multi-national training camp in Loumbila Department, staffed by Czech and Polish instructors.[11]

Equipment

Air Force
 The Air Force was founded in 1964 as the Escadrille de la République de
Haute-Volta (EHV) or the Republic of Upper Volta Air Squadron, a subordinate
unit of the Army. That year, a transient air support base was created with the
assistance of the French Air Force. After acquiring an initial fleet of utility and
transport aircraft, the squadron was attached to an inter-army support regiment. In
1970, the Escadrille was renamed the Force Aérienne de Haute-Volta, or FAHV,
and in 1977 became an autonomous force. In October 1985, the Force Aérienne
de Burkina Faso, or FABF, was officially inaugurated.
The roundel used by the The EHV was initially formed with two Douglas C-47 Skytrain and three
Air Force MH.1521M Broussard aircraft. These were later followed by two Alouette III
SA.316 B helicopters, used mostly for liaison purposes, one twin-engined Aero
Commander 500 light utility aircraft, two Hawker-Siddeley HS.748-2A twin
turboprop transport aircraft, and two Nord 262 twin turboprop transport aircraft. Two escadrilles (squadrons)
or sub-formations were created: the Escadrille de Transport (Transport Unit), and the Escadrille d'Hélicoptères
(Helicopter Unit). Later, the Escadrille d'Entraînement (Training Unit) was added. All squadrons were initially
based at Ouagadougou.

In mid-1984, Libyan military aid brought eight Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 jet fighters, along with two MiG-
21U combat trainer versions. These ex-Libyan Air Force' MiG-21 Fishbed' fighters were based in
Ouagadougou, although they were actually operated by the Libyan Air Force on loan by Libya, and were
removed in 1985 without seeing combat. A single MiG-17F Fresco that was also operated by the FABF did
see combat service in the Agacher Strip War in 1985–86. In 1985, the FABF also acquired two ex-Soviet Mi-4
transport helicopters from an unknown supplier, followed by an additional two Mi-4s. The Mi-4s were
operated by the FABF until the late 1980s, when they were taken out of service. Five Mi-8/17 transport
helicopters were later added to the Escadrille d'Hélicoptères. While supervising the ceasefire after the Agacher
Strip War, an FABF SA.316B Alouette III crashed at Kouni on 14 January 1986, leaving only one SA.316B
still in service with the Escadrille d'Hélicoptères.

In 1986, the FABF formed a new unit, the Escadrille de Chasse (EdC) (Attack Unit). In mid-1986 six ex-
Philippine Air Force SF.260WP Warrior armed trainers/light strike aircraft were acquired from a dealer in
Belgium, which offered the FABF a much simpler and less expensive alternative in tactical air support to the
expensive MiGs. The Warriors were not only used for pilot training, but also as light strike aircraft, and a
number of them were employed by the FABF's Escadrille de Chasse (EdC). Four additional SF.260WPs were
subsequently bought directly from Italy. The six ex-Philippine SF.260WP aircraft were taken out of service in
1993 and returned to their previous owner, although the four newly built SF.260WP aircraft were retained in
service, and stationed at Bobo Dioulasso air base.

Most of the other light aircraft acquired by the FABF in the 1970s and 1980s have also now been retired along
with the Mi-4 helicopters, but some recent acquisitions have been made, including a Beechcraft King Air, a
Piper PA-34 Seneca, a CEAPR Robin light training aircraft, and a single Air Tractor AT-802 aerial sprayer
aircraft for spraying insecticides, purchased after the northern part of the country suffered heavy crop damage
from a 2004 invasion of swarming locusts. In 2009, two Xenon Gyroplane autogyros were purchased for use
by police and security forces.

In late 2005, the FABF acquired two Mil Mi-35 'Hind' attack helicopters from Russia in apparent response by
moves by neighbouring Ivory Coast to bolster its own air attack capabilities during the Ivorian Civil War.

Aircraft
 In
Aircraft Origin Type Variant Notes
service
Combat aircraft
Embraer light
Brazil 3[12]
EMB-314 attack
Transport
EADS CASA An SF 260C in France, painted in the
Spain transport 1 on order[12]
C-295
Burkina Faso Air Force livery
Beechcraft
United
Super King
States
transport 200 1[12]
Air
Helicopters

Mil Mi-17 Russia utility Mi-171 3 2 on order[12]

Mil Mi-24 Russia attack 2[12]

donated by
United the
Bell UH-1 utility UH-1H 1[12] Government
States
of Taiwan[13]
Eurocopter
France utility 1[12]
AS350
Trainer aircraft
SIAI-
basic
Marchetti Italy
trainer 4[12]
SF.260

Notes
1. "CIA World Factbook" (https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/burkina-faso/). CIA.
Retrieved 22 June 2012.
2. "Soldiers go on rampage over pay in Burkina Faso" (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl
d/africa/soldiers-go-on-rampage-over-pay-in-burkina-faso-2268641.html). The Independent.
London. 16 April 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
3. Stratfor.com, 'Burkina Faso: Army Mutiny Spreads' (https://www.stratfor.com/situation-report/bur
kina-faso-army-mutiny-spreads), April 18, 2011
4. Burkina president says army vows to end protests (https://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNe
ws/idAFLDE73S1RJ20110429)
5. Gongo, Simon (25 May 2011). "Three Killed, 136 Injured in Burkina Faso Protest, Fasozine
Says" (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-05-24/burkina-faso-troops-resume-prote
sts-halt-traffic-fire-in-air). Bloomberg.
6. Gongo, Simon (2 June 2011)."Burkina Faso Soldiers Protest, Fire Shots and Loot Shops in
Bobo Dioulasso" (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-06-01/burkina-faso-soldiers-
protest-in-the-city-of-bobo-diolousso-fire-shots). Bloomberg. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
7. IISS Military Balance 2012, 423–424.
8. U.S. Dept. of State, Background Note: Burkina Faso – Profile (https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/
ei/bgn/2834.htm) June 2009
9. "Burkina Faso: Moise Minoungou appointed Army chief of staff" (http://apanews.net/index.php/e
n/news/burkina-faso-moise-minoungou-appointed-army-chief-of-staff). (in English) APA news
(Agence de Presse Africaine). Retrieved 12 January 2019.
10. "Burkina army chief sacked as jihadist attacks continue" (https://www.pulse.com.gh/news/worl
d/burkina-army-chief-sacked-as-jihadist-attacks-continue/9w0l5q2). pulse.com.gh (Ghana).
Retrieved 12 January 2019.
11. Schmitt, Eric (March 1, 2019). "Where Terrorism Is Rising in Africa and the U.S. Is Leaving" (htt
ps://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/01/world/africa/africa-terror-attacks.html). The New York Times.
"At an Army training range in Loumbila, 15 miles northeast of Ouagadougou, Malian and
Burkinabe commandos practiced marksmanship with AK-47 rifles and Beretta pistols under the
watchful eye of Czech and Polish trainers barking out instructions in French."
12. "World Air Forces 2021" (https://www.flightglobal.com/reports/world-air-forces-2021/141456.arti
cle). Flightglobal Insight. 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
13. Cherisey, de, Erwan (9 June 2017). "Burkina Faso receives Taiwanese Hueys" (https://archive.t
oday/20170612153635/http://www.janes.com/article/71282/burkina-faso-receives-taiwanese-h
ueys). IHS Jane's 360. Paris. Archived from the original (http://www.janes.com/article/71282/)
on 12 June 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2017.

References
World aircraft information files Brightstar publishing London File 338 sheet 4

Further reading
Alan Bryden, Boubacar N'Diaye, 'Security Sector Governance in Francophone West Africa:
Realities and Opportunities,' DCAF/Lit Verlag, 2011.
Cooper, Tom & Weinert, Peter (2010). African MiGs: Volume I: Angola to Ivory Coast. Harpia
Publishing LLC. ISBN 978-0-9825539-5-4.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Burkina_Faso_Armed_Forces&oldid=1024241287"

This page was last edited on 20 May 2021, at 23:37 (UTC).

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this
site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.