* In the fifteenth century ancestors to the Mossi tribe set up a number of centralised kingdoms.

* One of the most important of these was Ouagadougou, this was taken by the French in 1896.

* In 1947 the borders of Ouagadougou were defined.

* The French colonial authorities put into operation a system of forced labour recruitment among the Mossi between World War 1 and World War 2 this was to supply the European owned plantations in the Ivory Coast. This system was abolished in the 1940's but actually continued under another name.

* Independence came in 1960, the first president was Maurice Yameogo one of the principle figures in national politics since World War 2.

* He led an autocratic style of rule.

* In 1966 he was overthrown in a military coup led by Lieutenant Colonel Sangoule Lamizana, as a result of his mismanagement of the economy.

* The military remained in power for four years.

* From 1970 to 1974 there was a civilian government but the army once again intervened and a period of military rule followed.

* This in turn was followed by mixed civilian and military governments, the most powerful lobby in the country is the trade union movement who forced the military to compromise.

* Throughout the 1970's drought was common.

* 1983 a further coup occurred led by Captain Thomas Sankara. He ordered a railway to be constructed from Ouagadougou to Tambao he also built a dam to supply cheap electricity to replace the need for firewood.

* There was opposition to the financing of these projects by the trade unions and there were a number of sabotage incidents. Sankara dissolved the government and sent its ministers to various co-operative farms. Union leaders fled overseas.

* Sankara reduced the country's dependence on France and the Ivory Coast and widened his country's trade interests.

* He was overthrown in 1988.

* Burkina Faso has much infertile land, aid organisations refuse to help and insist upon cultivation of cash crops.

* The majority of the basic food crops need to be imported, causing the country great poverty.

* The country also has a long history of labour migration to Ghana and the Ivory Coast. BACK TO BURKINA INDEX