Nonviolent Conflict and the Transitions to ‘Multi-Party Democracy’ in Burkina Faso

The African continent is faced with dreadful civil wars that bedevil the international community. However, in contemporary times, the narratives are beginning to shift following the Arab Spring. Nonviolent conflict has become a key strategy employed by African citizens to express grievance demands and expectations for change, especially in undemocratic and authoritarian regimes. In West Africa sub region, for instance, Burkina Faso known for coup ridden history, through civil resistance, was able to oust the 27-year-old authoritarian regime to transition into a multiparty ‘democratic’ state in 2014. It is intriguing to unpack the nuances leading to the toppling of the authoritarian regime by unarmed force in a country known for rampant military takeovers and armed struggle. This article navigates secondary data, theoretical literature, and content analysis to offer a comprehensive grasp of the Burkinabé uprising. The article argues that mass participation and the media among other factors were instrumental in changing the rigid to a ‘flexible’ political climate in Burkina Faso. Though this remark appears fascinating, we do not know if Burkina Faso will resort to coups to change regimes in the future. The article reinforces earlier observations that nonviolent dissent is effective for democratization and socioeconomic and political change, unlike armed resistance.