Ten-Year Review: State Party Burkina Faso was among the first 30 ratifications to trigger the convention’s entry into force on 1 August 2010. Burkina Faso has indicated it intends to enact national implementing legislation for the convention. Burkina Faso has participated in several convention’s meetings, most recently in September 2019. It has voted in favor of an annual United Nations (UN) resolution promoting the convention since 2015.

In its initial transparency report for the convention provided in 2011, Burkina Faso indicated that it has never used, produced, or transferred cluster munitions. It possesses no stocks of cluster munitions and has not retained any for training or research purposes.

Policy

Burkina Faso signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 3 December 2008 and ratified on 16 February 2010. It was among the first 30 ratifications to trigger the convention’s entry into force on 1 August 2010.

Burkina Faso said in 2015 that it was drafting implementing legislation for the convention, but, as of July 2020, it has not introduced such legislation to parliament for consideration and approval.[1] Burkina Faso has expressed its desire to prepare implementing legislation and says that the National Commission to Combat the Proliferation of Small Arms (Commission Nationale de Lutte contre la Prolifération des Armes Légères) has facilitated consultations on implementation measures for the convention.[2]

Burkina Faso submitted its initial Article 7 transparency report for the Convention on Cluster Munitions in January 2011.[3] It provided an annual updated report in May 2013, but has not turned in any annual updates since then.

Burkina Faso participated in the Oslo Process that created the Convention on Cluster Munitions, including the negotiations in Dublin in May 2008.[4]

Burkina Faso has participated in several Meetings of States Parties of the convention, most recently the Ninth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in September 2019.[5] It previously attended the First Review Conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia in September 2015 and an intersessional meeting in Geneva in 2013. It has attended regional workshops on the convention, most recently in Lomé, Togo in May 2013.

In December 2019, Burkina Faso voted in favor of a UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution that urges states outside the Convention on Cluster Munitions to “join as soon as possible.”[6] It has voted in favor of the annual UNGA resolution promoting the convention since it was first introduced in 2015.

Burkina Faso has voted in favor of UNGA resolutions condemning the use of cluster munitions in Syria, most recently in December 2019.[7]

In 2009, the Minister of Foreign Affairs informed the Monitor that Burkina Faso considers that the transit of cluster munitions by states not party through the territory of States Parties is prohibited.[8] Burkina Faso has not elaborated its views on other important issues for the convention’s interpretation or implementation, such as the prohibition on assistance with prohibited acts during joint military operations with states not party, the prohibition on foreign stockpiling, and the prohibition on investment in cluster munition production.

Burkina Faso is a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty. It is also party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

Burkina Faso has reported that it has no production facilities and does not possess stocks of cluster munitions, including for training or research purposes.[9] Burkina Faso has stated that it has never used cluster munitions.[10]

Jump to a specific section of the chapter:

Treaty Status | Management & Coordination | Impact (contamination & casualties) | Addressing the Impact (land release, risk education, victim assistance)

Country Summary

The use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by non-state armed groups has been recorded in Burkina Faso since 2016.[1] Initially they were mostly command-detonated, but, pressure-plate operated improvised mines (victim-activated IEDs) have been increasingly used since 2018, reportedly due to signal scrambling technology employed by French troops disrupting command-detonated devices.[2] Persistent armed attacks in northern and eastern regions of the country since 2018, and in the center-north region more recently, have involved the use of such devices, with an increased frequency of incidents.[3]

Following a technical assessment in June–July 2019, UNMAS deployed to Ouagadougou in September 2019 to support Burkina Faso response to IEDs. UNMAS aims to provide technical training to national authorities, to deliver risk education, and to map and analyze the impact of IEDs to inform effective humanitarian assistance.[4]

Burkina Faso does not have any cluster munition contamination.

There are no specific victim assistance programs or activities operating in Burkina Faso.

Treaty status

Treaty status overview

Management and coordination

Mine Action management and coordination

Mine action management and coordination overview

Information management

In 2020, UNMAS was developing an IED-incidents database in Burkina Faso to provide analysis on the trends and impact of the explosive threat.[5] Analysis confirmed that armed groups operating in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have a regional capacity for the transfer of knowledge regarding IED techniques, tactics, and procedures.

In addition, Operation Barkhane armed forces established a Counter-IED Exploitation Laboratory (CIEL) in Ouagadougou where the remains of IEDs are deconstructed and analyzed.[6]

Risk Education management and coordination

Risk education management and coordination overview[7]

Coordination

UNMAS is providing programmatic support to the CNLPAL with the goal of formulating and implementing risk education for civilians, including internally displaced persons, living in conflict-affected regions.[8] These risk education sessions for civilians were scheduled to begin in 2020.[9]

The Risk Education Working Group of the mine action sub-cluster includes UNMAS, UNICEF, and three international NGOs.[10]

UNMAS held a workshop in March 2020 to agree on harmonized risk education messaging and material to be used by all operators in Burkina Faso.[11]

Victim assistance management and coordination

Victim assistance management and coordination overview[12]

There is no victim assistance program or coordination in Burkina Faso, however some international organization are providing relevant services.

Legislation

Burkina Faso is a State Party to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). There is an active National Multi-Sector Council for the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It serves to raise awareness and advocate for the rights of people with disabilities.[13]

The law requires the provision of less costly or free healthcare, along with access to education and employment.[14] However, it has been reported that these provisions were not enforced and persons with disabilities have reported that they have experienced discrimination, including difficulty finding employment.[15]

The disability rights movement in Burkina Faso lacks funding and staffing and it is also mostly confined to the capital and dependent on international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). There are many local disabled people’s organizations (DPOs), but these often have occasional meetings and a celebration on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.[16]

Impact

Contamination

Contamination overview

Note: IED=improvised explosive device.

Mine Contamination

IEDs have been reported since 2016 but were mostly command-detonated. Since 2018, improvised antivehicle mines have been increasingly used in order to evade signal scrambling technology employed by French forces, which prevents command-activated IEDs from detonating.[17] Improvised antivehicle mines are often constructed from pieces of old moped, with explosive components placed in a plastic container.[18]

Armed attacks have occurred in the north and east regions of the country since 2018, and in the center-north region more recently.[19]

Casualties

Casualties in 2019[20]

Casualties in 2019—details

For 2019 the Monitor recorded 56 casualties of improvised mines in Burkina Faso. All casualties were in vehicles when the incident occurred.[21] Due to the recent use of improvised mines, and a lack of systematic data recording of mine/ERW casualties, annual trends over time are not known and the total number of casualties is yet to be determined.

Addressing the impact

Mine Action

Operators and service providers

A coordinated clearance program is not operational, but UNMAS deployed to Burkina Faso in September 2019, with part of its mandate being the provision of IED-risk awareness training to the police and other national security forces in order to mitigate risks.[22]

Burkinabe national media reported that during 2019, members of the United States (US) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) with experience in countering IEDs delivered training to members of the Burkinabe defense and security forces.[23]

Risk Education

Operators and service providers

Throughout the final quarter of 2019, UNMAS delivered risk education sessions to humanitarian workers and police officers on the dangers of IEDs and improvised antivehicle mines.[24]

UNMAS developed a package of programmatic support for the CNLPAL to facilitate implementation of risk education for civilians affected by conflict. In August 2020, UNMAS began implementing risk education for civilians in the most affected regions.[25]

Beneficiary numbers

Beneficiaries of risk education in 2019

Note: UN=United Nations; NGO=non-governmental organization.

A total of 399 beneficiaries from UN organizations and NGOs and the Burkina Faso security forces received risk education from UNMAS in 2019.[26]

As of 30 September 2020, UNMAS had delivered 821 risk education sessions for more than 25,000 beneficiaries, including IDPs (5,157 men, 8,173 women, 5,893 boys, and 6,383 girls) living in high-risk areas in the regions of Boucle de Mouhoun, Centre-Nord, Est, Nord, and Sahel.[27]

Implementation—delivery methods

UNMAS provides risk education awareness sessions upon request or through the protection cluster and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). They use standard presentations adapted to the country and region and based on level and type of contamination. There is one presentation for humanitarian workers and one for law enforcement and security agencies.[28]

Victim Assistance

Victim assistance providers and activities

Though there are no victim assistance-specific programs operating, the government of Burkina Faso has identified five international organizations as providing services to persons with disabilities in the country (see table below).

Victim assistance international operators[29]

As of May 2020, there were no specific victim assistance programs or activities operating in Burkina Faso. Support for persons with disabilities was undertaken by NGOs. However, none of these organizations provided victim assistance specifically.[30]

HI tries to provide mobility aids, but there is no rehabilitation program outside of Ouagadougou. It supports inclusive education, including for survivors through projects in the northern and eastern regions. [31] Many schools offer free education; however, they lack resources for providing inclusive education to children with disabilities and those impacted by psychological trauma due to violence and conflict.[32]

Policy

Burkina Faso signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December 1997 and ratified it on 16 September 1998, becoming a State Party on 1 March 1999. Burkina Faso was the 40^th country to ratify the treaty, triggering its entry into force six months later. Legislation to enforce the antipersonnel mine prohibition domestically was enacted in 2001.[1]

Burkina Faso occasionally attends meetings of the treaty, most recently the Fourteenth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in November–December 2015. Burkina Faso also attended the Third Review Conference in Maputo in June 2014. Burkina Faso last submitted an updated Article 7 transparency report in April 2016.

On 5 December 2018, Burkina Faso voted in favor of UN General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 73/61, promoting universalization and implementation of the convention.[2]

Burkina Faso is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), its Amended Protocol II on landmines, and Protocol V on explosive remnants of war. Burkina Faso is also party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Production, Transfer, Use, and Stockpiling

Burkina Faso has never used, produced, imported, exported, or stockpiled antipersonnel mines, including for training purposes.