Popular Protests: How Citizens in Burkina Faso Took Back their Forest
Dr. Asma Amina Belem speaks with Georgetown students about CSO in Burkina Faso (Karina Bhatt/ The Caravel)
Dr. Asma Amina Belem, a postdoctoral fellow with Georgetown University’s Africa-China Initiative, spoke to students on September 26 about the significance of popular protest movements in her home country of Burkina Faso. Belem recently completed her doctorate at National Cheng-Chi University in Taiwan, where she conducted research on Chinese foreign aid, environmental governance, and how domestic politics influence aid distribution.
Burkina Faso’s civil society organizations (CSOs)—voluntary citizen groups otherwise known as NGOs—stepped into the spotlight during a proposed university hospital construction project. In 2019, China had gifted the city of Bobo-Dioulasso $60 billion francs (USD $117 million) to build a new 500-bed hospital. To construct the hospital, the City Council of Bobo-Dioulasso reportedly planned to declassify a portion of the Kua Forest for Chinese use. Belem mused, “There were definitely a lot of rumors that perhaps the Chinese wanted to steal natural resources, but none of them were confirmed. It’s related to the view of China in Africa. It’s definitely interesting that they were insistent on choosing a site that was so problematic.” That said, the declassification never happened. Instead, after 18 months of protests by CSO Prime Minister Joseph Dabiré decided to relocate the project to the nearby village of Pala.
CSOs such as the Association of Environmental Lawyers of Burkina Faso (AJE/BF) accused the City Council of bypassing important environmental regulations, specifically Article 30 of the Forest Code that requires an environmental evaluation before declassification. According to Jessica Norris, a PhD student studying Chinese environmental policy and aid, the Chinese are “pushing through and completely ignoring local environmental regulations” in their larger global investment strategy, the Belt and Road Initiative. Additionally, the CSO raised ecological concerns. The Kua Forest is home to 73 species of trees, five species of mammals, 15 species of birds, five natural springs, and the sacred shrines of the Bobo tribe. It also serves as an important carbon sink, one of the few green regions in a desert country, and the second-largest water supply in West Africa.
Sino-African relations have blossomed in the past twenty years. Between 2000 and 2023, China gave African countries over 1300 loans totaling $182.3 billion. Norris believes that “China will provide this aid without the strings that another government or international organization might require.” According to Belem, though, the aid to Burkina Faso had three flaws: composition of stakeholders that leaves out local communities, unequal contracts, and weak enforcement of environmental regulations. Belem noted that environmental management improves when local officials evaluate the land before handing it over for Chinese use because the Chinese environmental standards are ineffective. “Because they are voluntary, sometimes companies do not follow them. There’s no way of making sure they follow them,” she stated.
Belem explained that to succeed in their preservation of the Kua Forest, the CSO drew on decades of activism. In 2014, the CSO responded en masse when former President Blaise Campaoré attempted to extend his term in office. In the subsequent civilian-led transitional government, the Transitional Council paved the way for substantial judicial reforms that allowed the CSO to engage in litigation against government actors like the ministers of transportation and defense. Belem argued that judicial reform was critical in 2019: “it allowed the CSO to act and threaten the authorities […] or any one who tried to change the integrity of the forest.” Even so, Belem said that this success was remarkable: “We had no guarantee that the forest would be protected, but the success of the campaign was influenced by a configuration of favorable political opportunity structures.”
The case of the Kua Forest demonstrates the power and potential of civil society in holding governments accountable and promoting a sustainable future. Howard Professor Anita Plummer commended the CSO’s actions in upholding rule of law: “Government entities need to follow the law. Full stop. The basis of dissent and action is holding elected officials and foreign officials accountable. […] Political culture matters, and that’s what makes this case distinctive.” Professor Plummer called preservation of the Kua Forest a “victory for all of us,” and Belem agreed that its story provides hope for both environmental sustainability and government accountability. She said that domestic and international actors must pay more attention to community interests when pursuing public projects.