Editing History of Burkina Faso (section)

===Overthrow of Compaoré===
{{main|2014 Burkinabé uprising}}
In June 2014 Compaoré's ruling party, the CDP, called on him to organise a referendum that would allow him to alter the constitution in order to seek re-election in 2015; otherwise he would be forced to step down due to term limits.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.enca.com/burkina-faso-ruling-party-calls-referendum-term-limits|title=Burkina Faso ruling party calls for referendum on term limits, Africa, 22 June 2014, ENCA|access-date=July 23, 2015|archive-date=February 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220023939/https://www.enca.com/burkina-faso-ruling-party-calls-referendum-term-limits|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 30 October 2014 the National Assembly was scheduled to debate an amendment to the constitution which would have enabled Compaoré to stand for re-election as president in 2015. Opponents protested this by storming the parliament building in Ouagadougou, starting fires inside it and looting offices; billowing smoke was reported to be coming from the building by the BBC.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-29831262 "Burkina Faso parliament set ablaze"]. BBC News. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.</ref> Opposition spokesman Pargui Emile Paré, of the [[People's Movement for Socialism / Federal Party]], described the protests as "Burkina Faso’s black spring, like the Arab spring".<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/30/protesters-storm-burkina-faso-parliament-constitution-vote-president-blaise-compaore "Protesters storm Burkina Faso's parliament"]. ''The Guardian''. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.</ref>

Compaoré reacted to the events by shelving the proposed constitutional changes, dissolving the government, declaring a state of emergency and offering to work with the opposition to resolve the crisis. Later in the day, the military, under General Honore Traore, announced that it would install a transitional government "in consultation with all parties" and that the National Assembly was dissolved; he foresaw "a return to the constitutional order" within a year. He did not make clear what role, if any, he envisioned for Compaoré during the transitional period.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29840100 "Burkina Faso army announces emergency measures"], BBC News, 30 October 2014.</ref><ref>Hervé Taoko and Alan Cowell, [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/31/world/africa/burkina-faso-protests-blaise-compaore.html?_r=0 "Government of Burkina Faso collapses"], ''The New York Times'', 30 October 2014.</ref><ref>Mathieu Bonkoungou and Joe Penney, [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-burkina-politics-idUSKBN0IJ0NZ20141030 "Burkina army imposes interim government after crowd burns parliament"], Reuters, 30 October 2014.</ref> Compaoré said that he was prepared to leave office at the end of the transition.<ref>[http://www.dw.de/compaore-says-will-step-down-as-burkina-faso-president/a-18031319 "Compaore says will step down as Burkina Faso president"], Deutsche Welle, 30 October 2014.</ref>

On October 31 Compaoré announced he had left the presidency and that there was a "power vacuum"; he also called for a "free and transparent" election within 90 days. [[Yacouba Isaac Zida]] then took over the reins as head of state in an interim capacity.<ref name="resign">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29851445|title=Burkina Faso general takes over as Compaore resigns|work=BBC News|date=November 2014}}</ref>

On 17 November 2014, a civilian, [[Michel Kafando]], was chosen to replace Zida as transitional head of state, and he was sworn in on 18 November.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-burkina-politics-idUSKCN0J217V20141118 "Kafando sworn in as Burkina Faso transitional president"], Reuters, 18 November 2014.</ref> Kafando then appointed Zida as [[List of heads of government of Burkina Faso|Prime Minister of Burkina Faso]] on 19 November 2014.<ref>Mathieu Bonkoungou and Nadoun Coulibaly, [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-burkina-politics-idUSKCN0J323F20141119 "Burkina Faso names army colonel Zida as prime minister"], Reuters, 19 November 2014.</ref>

On 19 July 2015, amidst tensions between the military and Prime Minister Zida, Kafando stripped Zida of the defense portfolio and took over the portfolio himself. He also took over the security portfolio, previously held by Zida's ally [[Auguste Denise Barry]].<ref>[http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Burkina-Faso-reshuffles-govt-3-months-before-polls-20150720 "Burkina Faso reshuffles govt 3 months before polls"], Deutsche Presse-Agentur, 20 July 2015.</ref> As part of the same reshuffle, he appointed [[Moussa Nébié]] to replace himself as Minister of Foreign Affairs.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190210215102/https://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFKCN0PU0HN20150720 "Burkina Faso reshuffles government 3 months before elections"], Reuters, 20 July 2015.</ref>