Relationship dossier
Burkina Faso
Libya
Relationship assessment
Burkina Faso and Libya have a history of government-level cooperation, with the present scope of ties uncertain.
Burkina Faso toward Libya
+15Under Thomas Sankara, Burkina Faso cultivated ties with Libya, including through a visit to Libya and cooperation with Muammar Gaddafi’s government.
Libya toward Burkina Faso
+20Muammar Gaddafi’s government provided support to Thomas Sankara’s government in Burkina Faso; the scope and duration of that assistance are unclear.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship includes concrete cooperation during Thomas Sankara’s government and support from Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya. Libya’s subsequent political upheaval and uncertainty about later bilateral engagement make the durability and present character of that relationship unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Burkina Faso under Thomas Sankara cultivated ties with Libya, including through a visit to Libya and cooperation with Muammar Gaddafi’s government. Libya provided support to Sankara’s government. These are concrete episodes of cooperation, but the scope and durability of bilateral arrangements, especially after Libya’s political upheaval, are unclear.
Key developments
Thomas Sankara visited Libya as his government cultivated cooperation with Muammar Gaddafi’s government.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation agreements are unclear.
- The extent of government-to-government cooperation since Libya’s 2011 upheaval is unclear.
- Burkina Faso’s current policy toward Libya is uncertain.