Burkina faso fakta

You may be taken in for questioning if you do not have your passport with you. Persons contemplating business deals in Burkina Faso should contact the commercial section of the U.S. Embassy in Ouagadougou if they have any doubts about the legitimacy of a potential business client or partner.

Normally, fraud schemes begin with an unsolicited communication (usually by e-mail) from an unknown individual who describes a situation that promises quick financial gain, often by assisting in the transfer of a large sum of money or gold dust out of the country.

Penalties for possessing, using, or trafficking illegal drugs in Burkina Faso can be severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines.

Based on the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, bilateral agreements with certain countries, and customary international law, if you are arrested in Burkina Faso you have the option to request that the police, prison officials, or other authorities alert the nearest U.S.

embassy or consulate of your arrest, and to have communications from you forwarded to the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. The national symbol of Burkina Faso is the white stallion.

Criminal Penalties

3. Travelers requiring specific medicines should bring an adequate supply for the duration of their stay in Burkina Faso.

Malaria is a serious risk to travelers in Burkina Faso and can be fatal.

As well as military coups, Burkina Faso has suffered from recurring droughts, particularly during the 1970s when drought caused a serious famine and killed an estimated 100,000 people by 1973.

14. Burkina Faso has three principal rivers: the Black Volta (Mouhoun), the Red Volta (Nazinon) and the White Volta (Nakambé). A typical indicator of a business scam is the demand for advance payments on contracts.

They called the land Mogho (“country of the Mossi”) and established five independent kingdoms: Tenkodogo, Yatenga, Gourma, Zandoma, and Ouagadougou.

5. Broken-down vehicles may be abandoned on the road. Efforts in education, healthcare, and economic diversification highlight its potential for growth.

Thieves are especially active during international meetings or events which draw large crowds to the capital. Such fraud schemes are now prevalent throughout West Africa, including Burkina Faso. Sometimes perpetrators manage to induce victims to provide bank account and credit card information, and financial authorizations that allow them to incur large debts against the victim’s credit.

As a result, terrorist groups have stepped up their rhetoric calling for additional attacks or kidnappings against Westerners, particularly against those countries which support international military intervention in Mali. The unique sandy cones have been shaped by the elements over millions of years. With a population of nearly 17 million, it is one of the world’s least-developed countries, and its infrastructure for tourism is limited.

Thomas Sankara, who ruled Burkina Faso for four years from 1983, is known as the “African Che Guevara” due to his radical left-wing policies and mysterious death in 1987.

16. Be especially cautious at night when most reported incidents have taken place.

Although violent criminals typically operate at night, there have been daytime attacks.

Meningitis and Yellow Fever are endemic in Burkina Faso, and cases are most frequent during the drier, dustier months of January through June.