Yacouba Isaac Zida (born 16 November 1965)
is a
Burkinabé military officer who briefly served as Burkina Faso's acting head of state in November 2014. He took power in the aftermath of the
2014 Burkinabé uprising, sidelining a more senior officer,
Honoré Nabéré Traoré. A few weeks later, a civilian,
Michel Kafando
Michel Kafando (born 18 August 1942) is a Burkinabé diplomat who served as the transitional President of Burkina Faso from 2014 , was chosen to replace Zida as transitional head of state; Kafando then appointed Zida as
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
on 19 November 2014.
Zida was briefly removed from office by the
Regiment of Presidential Security
The Regiment of Presidential Security (french: Régiment de la sécurité présidentielle, RSP), sometimes known as the Presidential Security Regiment, was the secret service organisation responsible for VIP security to the President of Burkina F ...
in a
September 2015 coup, but he was restored as Prime Minister within a week.
Early career
Zida obtained a master's degree in International Management from the
University of Lyon
The University of Lyon (french: Université de Lyon), located in Lyon and Saint-Étienne, France, is a center for higher education and research comprising 11 members and 24 associated institutions. The three main universities in this center are: C ...
.
He also received military training from the American army. Under President
Blaise Compaoré
Blaise Compaoré (born 3 February 1951)''Profiles of People in Power: The World's Government Leaders'' (2003), page 76–77. , he served as deputy commander of the
Regiment of Presidential Security
The Regiment of Presidential Security (french: Régiment de la sécurité présidentielle, RSP), sometimes known as the Presidential Security Regiment, was the secret service organisation responsible for VIP security to the President of Burkina F ...
. He was a UN peacekeeper in
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
from 2008 to 2009.
2014 Burkinabé uprising
![Palais Kossyam 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Palais_Kossyam_2013.jpg)
During the
2014 Burkinabé uprising, President Compaoré resigned on 31 October 2014 and army chief
Honoré Nabéré Traoré announced that he was taking over as head of state, but his claim to power was immediately contested by a group of junior officers headed by Zida, who aligned himself with the protesters. On 1 November 2014, the armed forces unanimously backed Zida to lead the country in an interim capacity towards the
2015 presidential election.
On 17 November 2014, a civilian,
Michel Kafando
Michel Kafando (born 18 August 1942) is a Burkinabé diplomat who served as the transitional President of Burkina Faso from 2014 , was chosen to replace Zida as transitional head of state, and he was sworn in on 18 November. Kafando then appointed Zida as
Prime Minister of Burkina Faso
This is a list of prime ministers of Burkina Faso since the formation of the post of Prime Minister of the Republic of Upper Volta in 1971 to the present day.
A total of fifteen people have served as Prime Minister of Upper Volta/Burkina Faso ...
on 19 November 2014. In the transitional government, appointed on 23 November, Zida held the defense portfolio in addition to his role as Prime Minister.
In mid-2015 there was a dispute between Zida and the Regiment of Presidential Security. In early July it was reported that he had resigned, but he refuted the reports and criticized the press for careless reporting. Nevertheless, he faced opposition from the military as well as Compaoré supporters, leaving him in a precarious position, although he maintained the support of Sankarists led by
Bénéwendé Sankara. On 19 July 2015, President Kafando stripped Zida of the defense portfolio and took over the portfolio himself. He also dismissed Auguste Denise Barry, who was closely associated with Zida, from his key post as Minister of Territorial Administration and Security.
On 16 September 2015, two days after a recommendation from the National Reconciliation and Reforms Commission to disband the
Regiment of Presidential Security
The Regiment of Presidential Security (french: Régiment de la sécurité présidentielle, RSP), sometimes known as the Presidential Security Regiment, was the secret service organisation responsible for VIP security to the President of Burkina F ...
(RSP), members of the RSP
detained President Kafando and Prime Minister Zida. On 23 September, after the coup failed, Zida was reinstated as Prime Minister.
In November 2015, near the end of the transitional period, Zida was promoted from the rank of lieutenant-colonel to ''
général de division
Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...
'' in line with a law passed during the transition that provided for promotions to be granted "for services rendered to the nation".
Roch Marc Christian Kaboré
Roch Marc Christian Kaboré (; born 25 April 1957) is a Burkinabé banker and politician who served as the President of Burkina Faso from 2015 until he was deposed in 2022. He was the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso between 1994 and 1996 and Pr ...
, who was elected as President, was sworn in on 29 December 2015 and subsequently appointed
Paul Kaba Thieba, an economist, as Prime Minister.
The law providing for Zida's promotion was scrapped by the newly elected National Assembly. With permission from President Kaboré, Zida traveled to Canada in January 2016 to visit his family. He was due to return in February, but he failed to do so despite orders from Kaboré. In December 2016, Kaboré said that Zida would be expelled from the army for desertion.
"Burkina : Yacouba Isaac Zida sera rayé de l’armée pour « désertion »"
''Jeune Afrique'', 30 December 2016 .
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Zida, Isaac
1965 births
Burkinabé military personnel
Burkinabé Muslims
Heads of state of Burkina Faso
Leaders who took power by coup
Living people
Prime Ministers of Burkina Faso
University of Lyon alumni
21st-century Burkinabé people