Relationship dossier
Burkina Faso
United States
Relationship assessment
Earlier security cooperation has given way to greater strain following Burkina Faso’s coups and U.S. aid restrictions.
Burkina Faso toward United States
-5Burkina Faso participated in U.S.-supported regional counterterrorism activities, including the Flintlock exercise hosted in the country in 2019. Relations have since been affected by political changes following the 2022 coups and Burkina Faso’s shifting regional alignment.
United States toward Burkina Faso
+5The United States provided security and development assistance to Burkina Faso, then restricted assistance following the 2022 coups. It also ended Burkina Faso’s eligibility for AGOA trade benefits in 2023.
Overall relationship
+5The relationship has included concrete security cooperation and U.S. assistance, but political upheaval in Burkina Faso prompted restrictions on U.S. support and trade benefits. These features point to a mixed relationship, with earlier practical cooperation offset by subsequent political strain.
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 and the United States have had practical security and development cooperation, including Burkina Faso’s participation in U.S.-supported regional counterterrorism activities. Relations became more strained after Burkina Faso’s 2022 coups: the United States restricted assistance and ended Burkina Faso’s eligibility for AGOA trade benefits in 2023. The relationship therefore combines earlier cooperation with significant recent political friction.
Areas of tension
- U.S. restrictions on assistance following Burkina Faso’s 2022 coups.
- Termination of Burkina Faso’s AGOA eligibility in 2023.
Key developments
Burkina Faso hosted the Flintlock regional counterterrorism exercise, supported by the United States.
Following Burkina Faso’s 2022 coups, the United States restricted assistance to the country.
Burkina Faso’s eligibility for AGOA trade benefits ended.
Major uncertainties
- The scope of U.S. security and development cooperation with Burkina Faso after the coups is unclear.
- The extent of Burkina Faso’s continued participation in U.S.-supported regional programs is uncertain.