The Land of Upright People | Richard Mills | Safehaven.com The Land of Upright People The Land of Upright People By: Richard Mills | Sun, Jul 25, 2010 Print Email As a general rule, the most successful man in life is the man who has the best information. Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest. focusonforests.org Burkina is 274,000 km² with a population of plus 15 million it's people belong to one of two major West African cultural groups - the Voltaic and the Mande. Formerly called the Republic of Upper Volta (The country owes its former name of Upper Volta to three rivers which cross it: the Black Volta (or Mouhoun), the White Volta (Nakambe) and the Red Volta (Nazinon).

It was renamed Burkina Faso in August 1984 - meaning "the land of upright people" in Mòore and Dioula, the two major native languages of the country. Figuratively Burkina may be translated as "men of integrity" from the Mòore language and "Faso" means "father's house" in Dioula. After gaining independence from France in 1960 the country is now a semi-presidential republic. The parliament consists of one chamber known as the National Assembly, it has 111 seats with members elected to serve five year terms. There is a constitutional chamber with ten members and an economic and social council whose roles are purely consultative. Burkina Faso is divided into thirteen regions, forty-five provinces, and 301 departments. Burkina Faso's capital is Ouagadougou. It is a member of the African Union, Community of Sahel-Saharan States, La Francophonie, Organization of the Islamic Conference and Economic Community of West African States. Burkina Faso is made up of two major types of terrane.

The larger part of the country is covered by a peneplain (land worn down by erosion almost to a level plain - a nearly flat land surface) which forms a gently undulating landscape with a few isolated hills. The southwest of the country is a sandstone massif, where the highest peak, Tenakourou, is 749 meters tall. The average altitude of Burkina Faso is 400 meters - the difference between the highest and lowest terrain is only 600 meters. Burkina Faso has a tropical climate with two seasons - wet and dry. During the rainy season the country receives 600 to 900 millimeters of rainfall, the rainy season lasts four or five months, starting in May/June and it rains, off and on, till September. In the dry season, the harmattan - a hot dry wind coming from the Sahara desert - blows. Burkina Faso's natural resources include manganese, limestone, marble, phosphates, pumice, salt and gold, there are currently operating copper, iron, manganese and gold mines in the country. Burkina Facts: The inhabitants of Burkina Faso are known as Burkinabe.

Agriculture represents 32% of its gross domestic product A large part of the economic activity of the country is funded by international aid Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world - per capita gross domestic product (GDP) = $440 More than 80% of the population relies on subsistence agriculture Drought, poor soil, lack of adequate communications and other infrastructure, a low literacy rate, and an economy vulnerable to external shocks are all longstanding and ongoing problems Many Burkinabe migrate to neighboring countries for work sending substantial amounts of money back home - these remittances provide a contribution to the economy's balance of payments that is second only to cotton as a source of foreign exchange earnings The currency of Burkina Faso is the CFA franc Burkina Faso is one of the few West African countries that's not predominantly Muslim A railway connects Burkina with the port of Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, 1,150 kilometers (712 mi.) away Primary roads between main towns in Burkina Faso are paved Phones and Internet service providers are relatively reliable, but the cost of utilities is very high Burkina is attempting to improve its economy by: developing its mineral resources Making its agricultural

 and livestock sectors more productive and competitive Stabilizing the supplies and prices of food grains Implementing a fairly widespread privatization program Adhering to strict policy rules set out by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) Economic growth has averaged around 6% per year for the last 15 years.

Burkina Faso also has a new investment code that is helping to promote foreign investment. Reforms include: The adoption of a labor code in May 2008 Improving the process to transfer property The elimination of commune authorization requirements The creation of a one-stop shop to facilitate construction permits A decrease of the corporate tax rate from 35% to 30% A decrease on dividend taxes from 15% to 12% Implementing major changes to the tax system Creating a number of 'mining friendly' programs with the specific aim of attracting new mining and development companies Announcing their intention to set up a 'mining development fund' with Groupement des Professionnels Miniers (GPMB) behind the move, specific details have yet to be released Building a higher education institute for mining engineers and other executives "Gold production in Burkina Faso more than doubled from 2008 to 2009. The entire mining sector in the country is booming. The strongest increase in any sector during 2009 has been in gold production. Thanks to a strongly growing price of precious metals on the world market during recent years the mining and extractive industries are experiencing a real boom in Burkina Faso.

The number of permits and authorizations issued rose from 537 in 2008 to 599 in 2009, an increase of 11.6 percent. The industrial production of gold has risen from about 5,000 kg in 2008 to 11,642 kg in 2009, representing more than a doubling of production. These development should be helping to strengthen the position of our country as a mining country." Condensed from Prime Minister Tertius Zongo's state-of-the-nation speech to the Ouagadougou parliament Burkina Faso is now at the start of a mining boom. Looking to take advantage of the countries abundant natural resources, the number of 'mining friendly' programs the country has to offer and hoping to benefit by being a "first mover" a number of mining and exploration companies have decided to develop assets in Burkina Faso. One of them is...

Riverstone Resources TSX.V - RVS Total Institutional & Corporate Ownership: 20,680,000 = 22.8% Total Insider Ownership; 4,366,000 = 4.8% Retail Ownership: 65,183,190 = 72.4% Market Capitalization @ .50 per share: $45,100,066 Cash: US$ 8,500,00.00 Debt: nil Management Michael D. McInnis, P.Eng, Director, President & CEO. Over 35 years of experience in exploration and management, track record with high quality mineral projects James Robertson, P.Eng, Director. Over 35 years of experience, past Director of Primary Metals before takeover by Sojitz Corp. Alvin Jackson, P.Geo, Director. International experience, past President and COO of EuroZinc Mining Rick Bailes, P.Eng, Director. Over 30 years in mining, past President and CEO of Canadian GoldHunter Gregory Isenor, P.Geo, Director.

Past CEO of Jilbey Gold before its takeover by High River Gold Paul G. Anderson, P. Geo, Vice President Exploration. International experience, previously in Burkina Faso with Channel Resources in 1990's Riverstone Resources Inc. has focused its exploration activities on West Africa because its elephant country for gold exploration - hosting world-class gold deposits in Ghana, Mali and Guinea. In addition, West Africa has had the fastest growth in gold production in the world over the past five years. Ghana Loulo(4.0M oz) Inata/Belahoure(1.7M oz) The Company has chosen to concentrate its efforts in Burkina Faso because the belts of favorable rock that host all of the major gold deposits in Ghana continue into Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso has undergone less than 10 years of modern exploration and offers the chance to build a property portfolio in an area that has been severely under-explored. Riverstone management believes there are opportunities for further major discoveries in the country. Projects Since 2003 Riverstone has amassed a total of 13 exploration permits in 6 regions with its current land package covering some 2,300 square kilometers. 1.

Karma - Five contiguous permits with four gold deposits to date: Rambo, Kao and Goulagou I & II. The Company has completed an initial independent NI43-101 resource estimate at Karma with an indicated resource of 820,500 ounces of gold and an inferred resource of 320,300 ounces of gold. The resource is contained within 4 deposits all within 7 km of each other and drilling has been limited to a 100 meters in depth. The Company is currently focused on expanding the gold resource contained within the Karma Project. The Rambo Deposit contains 56,900 oz of gold at an average grade of 7.02 g/t, the deposit is open for expansion and is anticipated to become the starter pit. Goulagou I & II contain 577,000 oz of gold at a grade of 1.83g/t - the resource is anticipated to increase with this year's drilling program. The Kao Deposit contains 507,000 oz of gold at a grade of 0.91g/t and is still open to the north, north east and depth.

Gold resources at Karma are shallow, the bulk of resources is in oxide material above 100 meters in depth. There is the potential for a centralized gold processing facility to handle the material from all the deposits. There is also significant potential to expand gold resources with many untested gold showings. A new discovery, the Nami artisanal site, is located 4 kilometers north of the Rambo deposit. Artisanal activity commenced on the site in April, 2009 and activity has increased substantially since then. Artisanal workers excavate small, vertical shafts and collect material - in Nami's case from quartz veins and quartz breccias - which they process through a crude sluice box system. Several hundred of these shafts have been excavated to date. Riverstone has recently undertaken testing of the Artisanal miners waste dumps. The waste dumps are material left behind by the artisanal miners after high grading the quartz veins and they are considered by these miners to carry no gold grade. The average of all samples greater than 0.3 g/t is 1.36 g/t with a high of 8.6 g/t. "We are very pleased with the results from the waste dump sampling.

We knew from our sampling of the *quartz veins and quartz breccias that they carry exceptionally high values of gold but we had very little information on the gold content of the host rock surrounding the quartz bearing material. The average grade of 1.36 g/t returned from the waste dump material certainly exceeded our expectations and is a very positive development for the project." M.D. McInnis, President and CEO of RVS *Previous sampling by the Company of the quartz bearing rock returned numerous values in excess of 10 g/t gold with a high of 98 g/t. (See Riverstone News Release dated Jan. 18 and Feb 23, 2010). These high grade values should elevate the average grade of the Nami site to a value well in excess of the 1.36 g/t background value defined by the dump sampling. Any gold ounces developed at Nami will be accretive to the NI 43-101 gold resource at the Company's adjacent Rambo, Goulagou and Kao deposits - the Karma Project. Nami is approximately 1.5 km by 600m based on RAB drilling and tracing the quartz veins and altered zone.

Currently there are over 6000 samples in the laboratory and another 20,000 meters of drilling is planned for Karma this year. 2. Ligidi - a 13 km long by 3 km wide gold-in-soils geochemical anomaly that is open in at least one direction. The Ligidi permit covers 225 square km and both Birimian greenstones and Tarkwaiian sediments have been identified on the property. The presence of Tarkwaiian rocks is closely linked to the very large gold deposits found in Ghana. Riverstone has plans to spend $1mm on this project in 2010. The company expects to have plus $5mm remaining in its treasury at the end of 2010. Joint Ventured Projects The Company's other three projects, all drill ready, will have a total of $1.05m spent on them through the second half of the year as the result of a recently announced option agreement. Riverstone retains 60% after earn in and remains operator. 3. Yaramoko - an 8 km long deformation zone which appears to be the continuation of the mineralized zones at Semafo's Mana Gold Mine.

The Mana Mine is being developed on a series of high-grade gold veins. 4. The Bissa East Project - comprises two contiguous Exploration Permits, Tangapella and Biliga. To date, the company has defined three gold zones on Tangapella and two on Biliga. The Bissa East permits collectively cover an area of 498 square km and were acquired to cover portions of the northeast trending Sabce shear zone. The Sabce shear zone hosts a large number of known gold deposits. 5. Solna - The Solna Project comprises three contiguous permits, Solna, Teyango and Yantera. The company has delineated a 30 km long deformation zone that runs through all three properties. Work done to date on the more advanced Solna permit has demonstrated the presence of some very high gold grades in trenches. Conclusion Five large exciting projects already in their portfolio, unlimited potential for new discoveries, a mining friendly country that recognizes the need for resource extraction, ongoing legislation changes, the new mining fund and a series of tax breaks all mean Riverstone Resources is in a good position to take advantage of everything Burkina Faso has to offer investors. Currently Riverstone is valued at roughly $50 per gold oz in the ground.

This is very low for West African gold - $75 oz for the insitu value of gold in West Africa. After the upcoming 20,000 meter drilling program this author believes Riverstone's current gold resource of 1,140,800 Indicated and Inferred oz's could rise substantially. Burkina Faso and RVS.v are, in this authors opinion, offering a chance for early investors to get in on the ground floor of a mining boom. Riverstone Resources TSX.V - RVS and Burkina Faso - The Land of Upright People - should be on every investors golden radar screen. Is it on yours? If you're interested in the junior resource market and would like to learn more please come and visit us at aheadoftheherd.com My voice for Burkina Faso - Young African Leaders Initiative Network YALI In the News My voice for Burkina Faso LinkedIn0 Martine Nikiema (Courtesy photo) My name is Martine Nikiema.

I am a citizen of Burkina Faso, which means “the land of upright people.” It is a landlocked country sandwiched between Ghana, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Niger, and Benin and is at the heart of the West African savannah. The purpose of this article is to amplify the voices of my fellow countrymen and women who are fighting for democracy and the rule of law. Six months ago, I was privileged to be one of the Mandela Washington Fellows and to participate in the 2015 Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) representing my country. It was a real honor for me to be selected from a pool of over 30,000 continental applicants to travel to the United States and participate with other young leaders in YALI. In the weeks following the announcement of the Mandela Washington Fellows, I wondered why I had been selected, since I never saw myself as a charismatic leader. Last June I left my country to begin a new chapter in my life that would include big challenges, each of which I was determined to see as an opportunity. On the plane, I looked in tears at my country and our people.

The biggest question that sprang to my mind was how and when my country would see the needed social changes it craves: food for children, better education and justice for all, human rights, and gender equality. I am optimistic because my people are hardworking and brave, and because I believe in a better future. Every day my people do their best to to improve their living conditions. But it takes good leadership to make these changes happen. How can they reach these objectives if there are not good leaders to guide them? I spent my first six weeks at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, learning business and leadership skills. That period made me look back on my past life and what I have done in my community, fighting for better education by helping children in rural areas get light through solar energy. After six weeks, I finally understood that leadership does not necessarily mean taking huge action, but rather taking any action that changes the lives of people for the better. And good leadership is a determining factor in the process. A leader is a team player and a good listener who gives people a chance to speak and hears their voices. He or she is able to inspire others and guide them to continue their journey with more hope for success.

I started at that moment to believe in myself, but I also realized that I still have a long journey to be an effective leader. My main objectives became: Empowering hopeless youth who no longer believe in justice. Inspiring females to continue their education in order be a change-maker in their community. Getting donations and support to provide solar lamps to children in remote areas. Upon completing my course at Dartmouth, I travelled to Baltimore to participate in an internship with Bithgroup Technologies, a renewable-energy developer. During my six- week internship, I continued working on my objectives. I was in a hurry to return home and share my experience with my family, friends, and community, and to start my dream of being a good leader. Citizens of Burkina Faso protest against the recent coup in Ouagadougou. (© AP Images) On September 16, 2015, less than a month before elections, a military coup changed the situation in my country. The president, the prime minister, and two other ministers were arrested by the presidential guard (RSP). The citizens of Burkina Faso protested to denounce this anti-democratic and terrorist act — fighting by using their voices for peace, human rights, and democracy.

Their relentless resistance against the oppressor finally won them the much-needed victory they longed for for over half a century. Despite the death of 15 people and the wounding of 200 more, this victory is a watershed in the democratic process of my country. It will help heal many years of military brutality and impunity, as well as gross abuses of human rights. My country has regained its sovereignty and dignity. Today I am proud to be a citizen of Burkina Faso. I am even tempted to call it — like the United States — “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” This victory is obviously not to the advantage of some regional powers and leaders who continue to torture their people. The military in most African countries do not serve their people but are at the service of the elites. The army in Burkina Faso gave an example of patriotism when they fought back to protect their citizens against the presidential guards. They will go down in history as paragons of an authentic national army on the African soil. I am grateful for the opportunity I was given by the U.S.

government to learn skills of leadership and be part of the solution for the transformation of African societies and particularly of my home and beloved country, Burkina Faso. I know it is incumbent upon us, the next generation, to be an example for all countries facing challenges. Our future depends on us, we the people; our destiny is in our hands, and we cannot allow anyone to destroy it. I can use my voice to educate, inform, and defend our interests and to show the world the true meaning of democracy. Each population has the right to choose their leaders through legitimate elections. I raise my voice to say to nations that believe in democracy and the rights of individuals and countries to determine their own destiny: This is the time to take action. Time for more freedom, more democracy, and more justice. We, the people of Burkina Faso, are ready to face anything to reach our goals. I raise my voice to ask you to stand with us for justice. The views and opinions expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the YALI Network or the U.S. government.

Date: Dangerous Assignments: Refuse to Forget - Committee to Protect Journalists Committee to Protect Journalists Dangerous Assignments: Refuse to Forget By Yves Sorokobi Text Size Print Share Burkina Faso's ruling clan has endured two years of unrest sparked by the murder of a leading investigative journalist. New York, April 3, 2001 --- Two years ago in Burkina Faso, a landlocked West African country whose name means "land of the incorruptible," an outspoken journalist was murdered. It is a murder that continues to haunt Burkina Faso's first family. On December 13, 1998, Norbert Zongo and three friends were driving on a deserted road near Sapouy, some 50 miles outside the capital, Ouagadougou. Unknown individuals fired several automatic rifle bursts at the car, killing all four men. Then they torched the vehicle in an attempt to simulate a road accident. Zongo edited L'Indépendant, a muckraking Ouagadougou weekly.

Before his death, the editor had been investigating allegations that François Compaoré, President Blaise Compaoré's younger brother and chief advisor, took part in the January 1998 killing of his own chauffeur, David Ouedraogo. The chauffeur was suspected of stealing some 20 million CFA (US$27,000) from Compaoré. Autopsy reports suggest that Ouedraogo died after several days of savage torture. More than two years later, l'affaire Zongo still arouses passions. The case sparked a mass movement led by journalists and activists fed up with the Compaoré government's alleged corruption and casual use of extreme violence to stifle dissent. After Zongo's death, "people lost their fear, started a whole movement, and began to question authority, forcing the government to take small steps toward democracy," said Jean Claude Meda, president of the Burkina Faso Journalists' Association. In early 1999, President Compaoré promised that his government would not meddle in the work of an independent commission of inquiry set up to look into the Zongo affair.

In May, the commission concluded that Zongo had been killed for investigating Ouedraogo's murder. Warrant Officer Marcel Kafando and four other members of the feared Presidential Guard Regiment (RSP) were named as serious suspects in the murder. The commission also hinted that the officers might have acted on orders from Francois Compaoré. The government tried to short-circuit further investigations by promising financial compensation to the families of Zongo and the other victims. When this tactic failed, authorities resorted to classic stonewalling. A local judge who had charged François Compaoré with murder and "harboring a dead body" was removed from the case. And after three of the five RSP guardsmen were indicted on the same charges, the case was moved to a military tribunal, despite legal objections that as a civilian Francois Compaoré should be tried in a regular court. In May and September 1999, members of the French press freedom advocacy group Reporters Sans Frontières were thrown out of Burkina Faso when they visited the country to investigate the Zongo affair.

Three months later, in December, the Compaoré regime charged seven members of Le Collectif, a coalition of local independent journalists and human rights advocates, with "undermining state security" by organizing a demonstration of 70,000 people to call for closure in the Zongo affair. (The charges were later dropped.) Over the next few months, Zongo demonstrations spread across the country, with everybody from high school students to market women's associations joining in. And in early March of last year, the bureaucratic wall around the Zongo case began to crumble. On March 5, two dozen local judges issued a joint statement complaining about administrative and political pressure to maintain the status quo. During a Zongo rally on April 8, police beat several people unconscious and inflicted serious injuries on more than a dozen others. In response, a crowd of angry citizens ransacked the military court building in Koudougou, some 250 miles outside the capital, and burned it to the ground. At this point, the government abandoned covert manipulation in favor of open confrontation.

On April 14, 2000, after the independent radio station Horizon FM aired a press release from Le Collectif calling for yet another Zongo rally, police stormed the station and shut it down. The state-run Supreme Council on Information (CSI) ordered the raid under Burkina Faso's 1993 Information Code, which sanctions the immediate closure of media outlets charged with "endangering national security or distributing false news." "The law is harsh, in accordance with the poor understanding local media have of what constitutes [public] information," CSI official Bakery Hubert Pare told CPJ. "When a station incites public unrest, then it must suffer the consequences of its behavior." When asked whether he believed that Horizon FM had been silenced because it openly accused the presidential family of involvement in Zongo's assassination, Pare took a deep breath. "Democracy is fine, but journalists have to know that the interests of the country come first," he said. "Journalism is not about insulting state officials." (Horizon FM reopened around May 29.) A week after the closure of Horizon FM, unidentified individuals burgled the Ouagadougou Palace of Justice, making off with sensitive documents relating to the Zongo case.

The thieves were never found. In early August, Kafando and two other RSP guardsmen went on trial for the murder of Ouedraogo. The trial brought more confusion than closure, however. Kafando and his colleagues claimed that Francois Compaoré and his wife had told them about the chauffeur's alleged theft, but had not asked them to do anything about it. (The disappearance of the money was never proven.) The guardsmen also testified that Ouedraogo had been involved in a scheme to overthrow the government. The three guardsmen were found guilty of killing David Ouedraogo and sentenced to between 10 and 20 years in jail. The court also awarded the victim's family 200 million francs (US$227,000) in damages. It would be another six months before authorities acknowledged any link between the death of Ouedraogo and the murder of Norbert Zongo and his friends. Meanwhile, authorities fanned popular discontent by cracking down on opposition rallies and issuing stern warnings to the media.

In early January 2001, Kafando's codefendant Edmond Koala was found dead in his prison cell "after a long disease," according to a government press release. A few days later, the state prosecutor interrogated Francois Compaoré about the Zongo murder, and then let him go. The prosecutor's office claims that Compaoré's schedule for December 12-13, 1998 appears to be "in order." In early February, Marcel Kafando was indicted for murder in the Zongo case. Kafando, already serving a 20-year sentence for Ouedraogo's murder, is the first person to be formally accused of killing Norbert Zongo and his companions. The state prosecutor said that the indictment resulted from "contradictions noted in [Kafando's] alibi for December 12 and 13 of 1998." Doubtless hoping that the country was ready to move on, the government declared March 30 a national "Day of Forgiveness" [Read CPJ's letter to the government] . But by all accounts, the people of Burkina Faso are not ready to forgive their brutal government.

Human rights campaigners largely boycotted the March 30 observances. Norbert Zongo's grieving relatives did not attend. NATIONAL DAY OF FORGIVENESS IN BURKINA FASO On March 30, President Blaise Compaoré, whose 13-year rule in Burkina Faso has been marred by charges of massive human rights abuses, delivered an extraordinary apology for all crimes committed by his government before 30,000 people who filled a stadium in the capital of Ouagadougou. Compaoré's act of public contrition was part of Burkina Faso's "National Day of Forgiveness." A government-appointed council of elders called on the president to soothe public unrest prompted by the December 1998 murder of journalist Norbert Zongo. Zongo was the editor of L'independant, a weekly paper in Ouagadougou. The council of elders cited over 170 crimes allegedly committed by the Compaoré regime, which has so far enjoyed complete impunity in the poor, land-locked West African nation.

The council asked Compaoré to "assume all responsibility on behalf of the state" and ask the people of Burkina Faso for forgiveness. "At this solemn moment, in my position as president of Burkina Faso, I ask for forgiveness and express deep regret for torture, crimes, injustices, bullying and other wrongs," Compaoré told his countrymen during a speech rerun at regular intervals by the state media over the weekend. The president also announced the creation of a "compensation fund" for families of victims of political violence. He also pledged to make March 30 an annual "day of remembrance, human rights and promotion of democracy." The public contrition was heavily criticized, however. Opponents called it a government bid to evade its responsibilities under the law. They organized a counter rally, dubbed the "National Day of Mourning," which was attended by several hundred people. Hundreds more congregated to pray at Zongo's grave. END Burkina Faso country profile - BBC News BBC News Read more about sharing. Close share panel A poor country even by West African standards, landlocked Burkina Faso has suffered from recurring droughts and military coups.

Burkina Faso, which means "land of honest men", has significant reserves of gold, but the country has faced domestic and external concern over the state of its economy and human rights. A former French colony, it gained independence as Upper Volta in 1960. In 1983 Capt Thomas Sankara seized power and adopted radical left-wing policies but was ousted by Blaise Compaore, who went on to rule for 27 years before being ousted in a popular uprising in 2014. Read more country profiles - Profiles by BBC Monitoring FACTS Area 274,200 sq km (105,870 sq miles) Major languages French, indigenous languages Major religions Indigenous beliefs, Islam, Christianity Life expectancy 55 years (men), 57 years (women) Currency CFA (Communaute Financiere Africaine) franc UN, World Bank President: Roch Marc Kabore Image copyright Getty Images Marc Kabore, who served as prime minister and speaker of parliament under veteran President Blaise Compaore, won the November 2015 presidential election, easily beating his main rival.

The intervening year before Mr Kabore's election saw considerable turmoil, including an attempted coup by troops loyal to the ousted president in September 2015. A French-educated banker, Mr Kabore sees himself as a social democrat, and has pledged to reduce youth unemployment, improve education and healthcare, and make health provision for children under six free of charge. Kabore was a long-standing Compaore loyalist, but he quit as chairman of the then-president's Congress for Democracy and Progress party in 2014 over the head of state's plans to amend the constitution to extend his 27-year rule. MEDIA Some key events in Burkina Faso's history: Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Thomas Sankara, also known as "Africa's Che Guevara", seized power in 1983 and tried to introduce major reforms. He was killed in a coup led by his successor Blaise Compaore 896 - Kingdoms now making up Burkina Faso become a French protectorate, later known as Upper Volta. 1960 - Upper Volta becomes independent with Maurice Yameogo as president. He is overthrown in 1966 by Sangoule Lamizana.

1980 - President Lamizana is ousted in coup led by Saye Zerbo, who is overthrown two years later by Jean-Baptiste Ouedraogo, ushering in a period of unrest and power struggles. 1984 - Upper Volta renamed Burkina Faso. 1990 - Blaise Compaore, who assumed power when he ousted and killed then-leader Capt Thomas Sankara in 1987, introduces limited democratic reforms. He remains in power for 27 years. 2000 - Government agrees to set up UN-run body to monitor weapons imports after allegations that it has been involved in smuggling arms to rebels in Sierra Leone and Angola. 2011 - Months of unrest, including a mutiny. 2014 - President Compaore steps aside following massive protests against plans to extend his rule. A transitional government takes charge. 2015 - Acting President Kafando faces down coup attempt by presidential guard allies of Blaise Compaore. In November, former Prime Minister Roch Marc Christian Kabore wins presidential election.

2016 - Islamists attack a hotel and cafe frequented by the French military and other expatriates, killing 29 people. The Land of Upright People The Land of Upright People in Commodities As a general rule, the most successful man in life is the man who has the best information Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d’Ivoire to the southwest. focusonforests.org Burkina is 274,000 km² with a population of plus 15 million it’s people belong to one of two major West African cultural groups – the Voltaic and the Mande. Formerly called the Republic of Upper Volta (The country owes its former name of Upper Volta to three rivers which cross it: the Black Volta (or Mouhoun), the White Volta (Nakambé) and the Red Volta (Nazinon).

It was renamed Burkina Faso in August 1984 – meaning "the land of upright people" in Mòoré and Dioula, the two major native languages of the country. Figuratively Burkina may be translated as "men of integrity" from the Mòoré language and "Faso" means "father’s house" in Dioula. After gaining independence from France in 1960 the country is now a semi-presidential republic. The parliament consists of one chamber known as the National Assembly, it has 111 seats with members elected to serve five year terms. There is a constitutional chamber with ten members and an economic and social council whose roles are purely consultative. Burkina Faso is divided into thirteen regions, forty-five provinces, and 301 departments. Burkina Faso’s capital is Ouagadougou. It is a member of the African Union, Community of Sahel-Saharan States, La Francophonie, Organization of the Islamic Conference and Economic Community of West African States. Burkina Faso is made up of two major types of terrane.

The larger part of the country is covered by a peneplain (land worn down by erosion almost to a level plain – a nearly flat land surface) which forms a gently undulating landscape with a few isolated hills. The southwest of the country is a sandstone massif, where the highest peak, Ténakourou, is 749 meters tall. The average altitude of Burkina Faso is 400 meters – the difference between the highest and lowest terrain is only 600 meters. Burkina Faso has a tropical climate with two seasons – wet and dry. During the rainy season the country receives 600 to 900 millimeters of rainfall, the rainy season lasts four or five months, starting in May/June and it rains, off and on, till September. In the dry season, the harmattan – a hot dry wind coming from the Sahara desert – blows. Burkina Faso’s natural resources include manganese, limestone, marble, phosphates, pumice, salt and gold, there are currently operating copper, iron, manganese and gold mines in the country. Burkina Facts: The inhabitants of Burkina Faso are known as Burkinabè.

Agriculture represents 32% of its gross domestic product A large part of the economic activity of the country is funded by international aid Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world – per capita gross domestic product (GDP) = $440 More than 80% of the population relies on subsistence agriculture Drought, poor soil, lack of adequate communications and other infrastructure, a low literacy rate, and an economy vulnerable to external shocks are all longstanding and ongoing problems Many Burkinabe migrate to neighboring countries for work sending substantial amounts of money back home – these remittances provide a contribution to the economy’s balance of payments that is second only to cotton as a source of foreign exchange earnings The currency of Burkina Faso is the CFA franc Burkina Faso is one of the few West African countries that’s not predominantly Muslim A railway connects Burkina with the port of Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, 1,150 kilometers (712 mi.) away Primary roads between main towns in Burkina Faso are paved Phones and Internet service providers are relatively reliable, but the cost of utilities is very high Burkina is attempting to improve its economy by: developing its mineral resources Making its

 agricultural and livestock sectors more productive and competitive Stabilizing the supplies and prices of food grains Implementing a fairly widespread privatization program Adhering to strict policy rules set out by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) Economic growth has averaged around 6% per year for the last 15 years.

Burkina Faso also has a new investment code that is helping to promote foreign investment. Reforms include: The adoption of a labor code in May 2008 Improving the process to transfer property The elimination of commune authorization requirements The creation of a one-stop shop to facilitate construction permits A decrease of the corporate tax rate from 35% to 30% A decrease on dividend taxes from 15% to 12% Implementing major changes to the tax system Creating a number of ‘mining friendly’ programs with the specific aim of attracting new mining and development companies Announcing their intention to set up a ‘mining development fund’ with Groupement des Professionnels Miniers (GPMB) behind the move, specific details have yet to be released Building a higher education institute for mining engineers and other executives “Gold production in Burkina Faso more than doubled from 2008 to 2009. The entire mining sector in the country is booming. The strongest increase in any sector during 2009 has been in gold production. Thanks to a strongly growing price of precious metals on the world market during recent years the mining and extractive industries are experiencing a real boom in Burkina Faso.

The number of permits and authorizations issued rose from 537 in 2008 to 599 in 2009, an increase of 11.6 percent. The industrial production of gold has risen from about 5,000 kg in 2008 to 11,642 kg in 2009, representing more than a doubling of production. These development should be helping to strengthen the position of our country as a mining country.” Condensed from Prime Minister Tertius Zongo’s state-of-the-nation speech to the Ouagadougou parliament Burkina Faso is now at the start of a mining boom. Looking to take advantage of the countries abundant natural resources, the number of ‘mining friendly’ programs the country has to offer and hoping to benefit by being a “first mover” a number of mining and exploration companies have decided to develop assets in Burkina Faso.

One of them is… Riverstone Resources TSX.V – RVS Total Institutional & Corporate Ownership: 20,680,000 = 22.8% Total Insider Ownership; 4,366,000 = 4.8% Retail Ownership: 65,183,190 = 72.4% Market Capitalization @ .50 per share: $45,100,066 Cash: US$ 8,500,00.00 Debt: nil Management Michael D. McInnis, P.Eng, Director, President & CEO. Over 35 years of experience in exploration and management, track record with high quality mineral projects James Robertson, P.Eng, Director. Over 35 years of experience, past Director of Primary Metals before takeover by Sojitz Corp. Alvin Jackson, P.Geo, Director. International experience, past President and COO of EuroZinc Mining Rick Bailes, P.Eng, Director. Over 30 years in mining, past President and CEO of Canadian GoldHunter Gregory Isenor, P.Geo, Director.

Past CEO of Jilbey Gold before its takeover by High River Gold Paul G. Anderson, P. Geo, Vice President Exploration. International experience, previously in Burkina Faso with Channel Resources in 1990’s Riverstone Resources Inc. has focused its exploration activities on West Africa because its elephant country for gold exploration – hosting world-class gold deposits in Ghana, Mali and Guinea. In addition, West Africa has had the fastest growth in gold production in the world over the past five years. Ghana Youga(1.5M oz) Inata/Belahoure(1.7M oz) The Company has chosen to concentrate its efforts in Burkina Faso because the belts of favorable rock that host all of the major gold deposits in Ghana continue into Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso has undergone less than 10 years of modern exploration and offers the chance to build a property portfolio in an area that has been severely under-explored. Riverstone management believes there are opportunities for further major discoveries in the country. Projects Since 2003 Riverstone has amassed a total of 13 exploration permits in 6 regions with its current land package covering some 2,300 square kilometers. 1.

Karma – Five contiguous permits with four gold deposits to date: Rambo, Kao and Goulagou I & II. The Company has completed an initial independent NI43-101 resource estimate at Karma with an indicated resource of 820,500 ounces of gold and an inferred resource of 320,300 ounces of gold. The resource is contained within 4 deposits all within 7 km of each other and drilling has been limited to a 100 meters in depth. The Company is currently focused on expanding the gold resource contained within the Karma Project. The Rambo Deposit contains 56,900 oz of gold at an average grade of 7.02 g/t, the deposit is open for expansion and is anticipated to become the starter pit. Goulagou I & II contain 577,000 oz of gold at a grade of 1.83g/t – the resource is anticipated to increase with this year’s drilling program. Both deposits appear to be showing improved grades to the north.

The Kao Deposit contains 507,000 oz of gold at a grade of 0.91g/t and is still open to the north, north east and depth. Gold resources at Karma are shallow, the bulk of resources is in oxide material above 100 meters in depth. There is the potential for a centralized gold processing facility to handle the material from all the deposits. There is also significant potential to expand gold resources with many untested gold showings. A new discovery, the Nami artisanal site, is located 4 kilometers north of the Rambo deposit. Artisanal activity commenced on the site in April, 2009 and activity has increased substantially since then. Artisanal workers excavate small, vertical shafts and collect material – in Nami’s case from quartz veins and quartz breccias -which they process through a crude sluice box system. Several hundred of these shafts have been excavated to date. Riverstone has recently undertaken testing of the Artisanal miners waste dumps. The waste dumps are material left behind by the artisanal miners after high grading the quartz veins and they are considered by these miners to carry no gold grade.

The average of all samples greater than 0.3 g/t is 1.36 g/t with a high of 8.6 g/t. "We are very pleased with the results from the waste dump sampling. We knew from our sampling of the *quartz veins and quartz breccias that they carry exceptionally high values of gold but we had very little information on the gold content of the host rock surrounding the quartz bearing material. The average grade of 1.36 g/t returned from the waste dump material certainly exceeded our expectations and is a very positive development for the project." M.D. McInnis, President and CEO of RVS *Previous sampling by the Company of the quartz bearing rock returned numerous values in excess of 10 g/t gold with a high of 98 g/t. (See Riverstone News Release dated Jan. 18 and Feb 23, 2010). These high grade values should elevate the average grade of the Nami site to a value well in excess of the 1.36 g/t background value defined by the dump sampling.

Any gold ounces developed at Nami will be accretive to the NI 43-101 gold resource at the Company's adjacent Rambo, Goulagou and Kao deposits – the Karma Project. Nami is approximately 1.5 km by 600m based on RAB drilling and tracing the quartz veins and altered zone. Currently there are over 6000 samples in the laboratory and another 20,000 meters of drilling is planned for Karma this year. 2. Ligidi – a 13 km long by 3 km wide gold-in-soils geochemical anomaly that is open in at least one direction. The Ligidi permit covers 225 square km and both Birimian greenstones and Tarkwaiian sediments have been identified on the property. The presence of Tarkwaiian rocks is closely linked to the very large gold deposits found in Ghana. Riverstone has plans to spend $1mm on this project in 2010. The company expects to have plus $5mm remaining in its treasury at the end of 2010.

Joint Ventured Projects The Company’s other three projects, all drill ready, will have a total of $1.05m spent on them through the second half of the year as the result of a recently announced option agreement. Riverstone retains 60% after earn in and remains operator. 3. Yaramoko – an 8 km long deformation zone which appears to be the continuation of the mineralized zones at Semafo’s Mana Gold Mine. The Mana Mine is being developed on a series of high-grade gold veins. 4. The Bissa East Project – comprises two contiguous Exploration Permits, Tangapella and Biliga. To date, the company has defined three gold zones on Tangapella and two on Biliga. The Bissa East permits collectively cover an area of 498 square km and were acquired to cover portions of the northeast trending Sabcé shear zone. The Sabcé shear zone hosts a large number of known gold deposits. 5. Solna – The Solna Project comprises three contiguous permits, Solna, Teyango and Yantera. The company has delineated a 30 km long deformation zone that runs through all three properties.

Work done to date on the more advanced Solna permit has demonstrated the presence of some very high gold grades in trenches. Conclusion Five large exciting projects already in their portfolio, unlimited potential for new discoveries, a mining friendly country that recognizes the need for resource extraction, ongoing legislation changes, the new mining fund and a series of tax breaks all mean Riverstone Resources is in a good position to take advantage of everything Burkina Faso has to offer investors. Currently Riverstone is valued at roughly $50 per gold oz in the ground. This is very low for West African gold - $75 oz for the insitu value of gold in West Africa. After the upcoming 20,000 meter drilling program this author believes Riverstone’s current gold resource of 1,140,800 Indicated and Inferred oz’s could rise substantially. Burkina Faso and RVS.v are, in this authors opinion, offering a chance for early investors to get in on the ground floor of a mining boom. Riverstone Resources TSX.V – RVS and Burkina Faso – The Land of Upright People – should be on every investors golden radar screen. Is it on yours?

The Land of Upright People The Land of Upright People Richard (Rick) Mills Ahead of the Herd As a general rule, the most successful man in life is the man who has the best information Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Cï¿½te d'Ivoire to the southwest. focusonforests.org Burkina is 274,000 kmï¿½ with a population of plus 15 million itï¿½s people belong to one of two major West African cultural groups - the Voltaic and the Mande. Formerly called the Republic of Upper Volta (The country owes its former name of Upper Volta to three rivers which cross it: the Black Volta (or Mouhoun), the White Volta (Nakambï¿½) and the Red Volta (Nazinon).

It was renamed Burkina Faso in August 1984 - meaning "the land of upright people" in Mï¿½orï¿½ and Dioula, the two major native languages of the country. Figuratively Burkina may be translated as "men of integrity" from the Mï¿½orï¿½ language and "Faso" means "father's house" in Dioula. After gaining independence from France in 1960 the country is now a semi-presidential republic. The parliament consists of one chamber known as the National Assembly, it has 111 seats with members elected to serve five year terms. There is a constitutional chamber with ten members and an economic and social council whose roles are purely consultative. Burkina Faso is divided into thirteen regions, forty-five provinces, and 301 departments. Burkina Faso's capital is Ouagadougou. It is a member of the African Union, Community of Sahel-Saharan States, La Francophonie, Organization of the Islamic Conference and Economic Community of West African States. Burkina Faso is made up of two major types of terrane.

The larger part of the country is covered by a peneplain (land worn down by erosion almost to a level plain - a nearly flat land surface) which forms a gently undulating landscape with a few isolated hills. The southwest of the country is a sandstone massif, where the highest peak, Tï¿½nakourou, is 749 meters tall. The average altitude of Burkina Faso is 400 meters - the difference between the highest and lowest terrain is only 600 meters. Burkina Faso has a tropical climate with two seasons ï¿½ wet and dry. During the rainy season the country receives 600 to 900 millimeters of rainfall, the rainy season lasts four or five months, starting in May/June and it rains, off and on, till September. In the dry season, the harmattan ï¿½ a hot dry wind coming from the Sahara desert ï¿½ blows. Burkina Faso's natural resources include manganese, limestone, marble, phosphates, pumice, salt and gold, there are currently operating copper, iron, manganese and gold mines in the country.

Burkina Facts: Inata/Belahoure(1.7M oz) The Company has chosen to concentrate its efforts in Burkina Faso because the belts of favorable rock that host all of the major gold deposits in Ghana continue into Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso has undergone less than 10 years of modern exploration and offers the chance to build a property portfolio in an area that has been severely under-explored. Riverstone management believes there are opportunities for further major discoveries in the country. Projects Since 2003 Riverstone has amassed a total of 13 exploration permits in 6 regions with its current land package covering some 2,300 square kilometers. 1. Karma - Five contiguous permits with four gold deposits to date: Rambo, Kao and Goulagou I & II. The Company has completed an initial independent NI43-101 resource estimate at Karma with an indicated resource of 820,500 ounces of gold and an inferred resource of 320,300 ounces of gold. The resource is contained within 4 deposits all within 7 km of each other and drilling has been limited to a 100 meters in depth.

The Company is currently focused on expanding the gold resource contained within the Karma Project. The Rambo Deposit contains 56,900 oz of gold at an average grade of 7.02 g/t, the deposit is open for expansion and is anticipated to become the starter pit. Goulagou I & II contain 577,000 oz of gold at a grade of 1.83g/t - the resource is anticipated to increase with this yearï¿½s drilling program. The Kao Deposit contains 507,000 oz of gold at a grade of 0.91g/t and is still open to the north, north east and depth. Gold resources at Karma are shallow, the bulk of resources is in oxide material above 100 meters in depth. There is the potential for a centralized gold processing facility to handle the material from all the deposits. There is also significant potential to expand gold resources with many untested gold showings. A new discovery, the Nami artisanal site, is located 4 kilometers north of the Rambo deposit. Artisanal activity commenced on the site in April, 2009 and activity has increased substantially since then.

Artisanal workers excavate small, vertical shafts and collect material ï¿½ in Namiï¿½s case from quartz veins and quartz breccias - which they process through a crude sluice box system. Several hundred of these shafts have been excavated to date. Riverstone has recently undertaken testing of the Artisanal miners waste dumps. The waste dumps are material left behind by the artisanal miners after high grading the quartz veins and they are considered by these miners to carry no gold grade. The average of all samples greater than 0.3 g/t is 1.36 g/t with a high of 8.6 g/t. "We are very pleased with the results from the waste dump sampling. We knew from our sampling of the *quartz veins and quartz breccias that they carry exceptionally high values of gold but we had very little information on the gold content of the host rock surrounding the quartz bearing material. The average grade of 1.36 g/t returned from the waste dump material certainly exceeded our expectations and is a very positive development for the project." M.D.

McInnis, President and CEO of RVS *Previous sampling by the Company of the quartz bearing rock returned numerous values in excess of 10 g/t gold with a high of 98 g/t. (See Riverstone News Release dated Jan. 18 and Feb 23, 2010). These high grade values should elevate the average grade of the Nami site to a value well in excess of the 1.36 g/t background value defined by the dump sampling. Any gold ounces developed at Nami will be accretive to the NI 43-101 gold resource at the Company's adjacent Rambo, Goulagou and Kao deposits ï¿½ the Karma Project. Nami is approximately 1.5 km by 600m based on RAB drilling and tracing the quartz veins and altered zone. Currently there are over 6000 samples in the laboratory and another 20,000 meters of drilling is planned for Karma this year. 2. Ligidi - a 13 km long by 3 km wide gold-in-soils geochemical anomaly that is open in at least one direction.

The Ligidi permit covers 225 square km and both Birimian greenstones and Tarkwaiian sediments have been identified on the property. The presence of Tarkwaiian rocks is closely linked to the very large gold deposits found in Ghana. Riverstone has plans to spend $1mm on this project in 2010. The company expects to have plus $5mm remaining in its treasury at the end of 2010. Joint Ventured Projects The Companyï¿½s other three projects, all drill ready, will have a total of $1.05m spent on them through the second half of the year as the result of a recently announced option agreement. Riverstone retains 60% after earn in and remains operator. 3. Yaramoko - an 8 km long deformation zone which appears to be the continuation of the mineralized zones at Semafo's Mana Gold Mine. The Mana Mine is being developed on a series of high-grade gold veins. 4. The Bissa East Project - comprises two contiguous Exploration Permits, Tangapella and Biliga. To date, the company has defined three gold zones on Tangapella and two on Biliga.

The Bissa East permits collectively cover an area of 498 square km and were acquired to cover portions of the northeast trending Sabcï¿½ shear zone. The Sabcï¿½ shear zone hosts a large number of known gold deposits. 5. Solna - The Solna Project comprises three contiguous permits, Solna, Teyango and Yantera. The company has delineated a 30 km long deformation zone that runs through all three properties. Work done to date on the more advanced Solna permit has demonstrated the presence of some very high gold grades in trenches. Conclusion Five large exciting projects already in their portfolio, unlimited potential for new discoveries, a mining friendly country that recognizes the need for resource extraction, ongoing legislation changes, the new mining fund and a series of tax breaks all mean Riverstone Resources is in a good position to take advantage of everything Burkina Faso has to offer investors. Currently Riverstone is valued at roughly $50 per gold oz in the ground. This is very low for West African gold - $75 oz for the insitu value of gold in West Africa.

After the upcoming 20,000 meter drilling program this author believes Riverstoneï¿½s current gold resource of 1,140,800 Indicated and Inferred ozï¿½s could rise substantially. Burkina Faso and RVS.v are, in this authors opinion, offering a chance for early investors to get in on the ground floor of a mining boom. Riverstone Resources TSX.V ï¿½ RVS and Burkina Faso - The Land of Upright People - should be on every investors golden radar screen. Is it on yours?

Question: Which landlocked West African country has a name which means 'Land of the upright men'?
Answer: BURKINA FASO.