West Africa after Compaoré

The document examines the political vacuum created by the departure of Blaise Compaoré, who served as both a mediator and a source of instability in West Africa for 27 years. It analyzes his specific influence in Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mali, as well as his role in negotiating the release of Western hostages from Islamist groups in the Sahel. The author suggests that while no single leader can replace Compaoré's personal networks, his exit provides an opportunity for ECOWAS to strengthen its institutional conflict resolution mechanisms.

• Blaise Compaoré maintained a contradictory reputation in West Africa, acting as a mediator in some crises while being accused of fueling others in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Côte d'Ivoire.
• In Togo, Compaoré's departure may increase political instability and risks ahead of the 2015 presidential elections, as he was a key supporter of President Faure Gnassingbé and a mediator of the 2006 Global Political Agreement.
• In Côte d’Ivoire, Compaoré's influence was split between those who praise his 2007 Ouagadougou Political Agreement and those who accuse him of supporting the 2002 failed coup; his exit may impact the power struggle between Guillaume Soro and Hamed Bakayoko.
• Compaoré's role in Mali was central to the 2012 return to constitutional order and the June 2013 peace agreement, though he was eventually marginalized in favor of Algeria due to perceived partiality toward armed groups.
• The West has lost a significant partner for negotiating the release of hostages held by Islamist groups in the Sahel, although other countries like Niger and Mali also possess such networks.
• Because Compaoré's influence was based on personal relationships forged over 27 years, no other individual head of state is likely to fill the resulting political vacuum, potentially allowing ECOWAS to become more assertive as an institution.

APA

Diallo, O. A., Gnamke, E.-W., Maïga, I., & Ouédraogo, F. (2014). West Africa after Compaoré. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/west-africa-after-compaore

Chicago

Diallo, Ousmane Aly, Esso-Wèdeou Gnamke, Ibrahim Maïga, and Fatimata Ouédraogo. West Africa after Compaoré. Institute for Security Studies, 2014. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/west-africa-after-compaore.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Diallo |first1=Ousmane Aly |last2=Gnamke |first2=Esso-Wèdeou |last3=Maïga |first3=Ibrahim |last4=Ouédraogo |first4=Fatimata |title=West Africa after Compaoré |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=12 December 2014 |url=https://issafrica.org/iss-today/west-africa-after-compaore |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{diallo2014west, author = {Diallo, Ousmane Aly and Gnamke, Esso-Wèdeou and Maïga, Ibrahim and Ouédraogo, Fatimata}, title = {{West Africa after Compaoré}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2014}, month = dec, url = {https://issafrica.org/iss-today/west-africa-after-compaore}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }