ABSTRACT
Burkina Faso has an area of 274,000 km, with few natural resources; the country is largely dependent upon agriculture and is therefore at the mercy of the recurrent regional droughts. Following independence from France on 5 August 1960 as the state of Upper Volta, there ensued a series of military coups punctuated by civilian rule by the Rassemblement Dmocratique Africain (RDA). The coup of 1980 finally ended the dominance of the RDA in the politics of Upper Volta. Upper Volta adopted Ghana and Libya as models for its development as it rid the country of its colonial past and changed the name to Burkina Faso. At various stages it might become a Libyan satellite or might enter into union with Ghana. Boundary problems include the presence of Touareg refugees from Mali and Niger and relations with Liberia. In 1993, Burkina Faso sent troops to join the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) forces in Liberia.
