Burkina Faso’s security sector reform can no longer wait

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies argues that Burkina Faso must urgently implement a holistic security sector reform to address a deadly jihadist insurgency and historical tensions between civilian and military elites.

• Burkina Faso adopted a national security policy on 6 October 2021, following years of delays. This policy was recommended by the 2017 National Forum on Security, which sought to move away from a "military-police paradigm" toward a holistic approach to public security.
• Security sector reform has been hindered by deep-seated mistrust between civilian elites and the military, stemming from the 2014 overthrow of Blaise Compaoré. Some military elites resist civilian control over security governance, leading to institutional rivalries between the army and police.
• Since 2015, the government's response to escalating jihadist violence has been characterized by fragmented, emergency sectoral solutions rather than a coherent vision. These include the January 2017 establishment of specialized judicial poles for terrorism, a December 2017 military programming law, the October 2019 creation of a National Centre for Security Studies, and a January 2020 law introducing volunteers for homeland defence.
• The author recommends that the government prioritize the adoption of a national security strategy and define a national security architecture to establish clear structures, responsibilities, and coordination procedures for managing security.

APA

Koné, H., & Koné, F. R. (2021). Burkina Faso’s security sector reform can no longer wait. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/burkina-fasos-security-sector-reform-can-no-longer-wait

Chicago

Koné, Hassane, and Fahiraman Rodrigue Koné. Burkina Faso’s security sector reform can no longer wait. Institute for Security Studies, 2021. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/burkina-fasos-security-sector-reform-can-no-longer-wait.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Koné |first1=Hassane |last2=Koné |first2=Fahiraman Rodrigue |title=Burkina Faso’s security sector reform can no longer wait |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=7 December 2021 |url=https://issafrica.org/iss-today/burkina-fasos-security-sector-reform-can-no-longer-wait |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kon2021burkina, author = {Koné, Hassane and Koné, Fahiraman Rodrigue}, title = {{Burkina Faso’s security sector reform can no longer wait}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://issafrica.org/iss-today/burkina-fasos-security-sector-reform-can-no-longer-wait}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }