Military ranks of Burkina Faso

The Military ranks of Burkina Faso are the military insignia used by the Burkina Faso Armed Forces. Burkina Faso is a landlocked country, and does therefore not possess a navy. Being a former colony of France, Burkina Faso shares a rank structure similar to that of France. ^[1]

Current ranks

Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers
Burkina Faso Ground Forces [2] v t e
			Général d'armée		Général de corps d'armée		Général de division		Général de brigade		Colonel-major	Colonel	Lieutenant-colonel		Commandant		Capitaine		Lieutenant			Sous-lieutenant
Burkina Faso Air Force [2] v t e
			Général d'armée		Général de corps d'armée		Général de division		Général de brigade		Colonel-major	Colonel	Lieutenant-colonel		Commandant		Capitaine		Lieutenant			Sous-lieutenant
Burkinabè National Gendarmerie v t e
			Général d'armée		Général de corps d'armée		Général de division		Général de brigade		Colonel-major	Colonel	Lieutenant-colonel		Commandant		Capitaine		Lieutenant			Sous-lieutenant
Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers

Student officer ranks

Rank group	Student officer
[2]
	Aspirant

Other ranks

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

Rank group	Senior NCOs																						Junior NCOs						Enlisted
Burkina Faso Ground Forces [2] [3] v t e
	Adjudant-chef major			Adjudant-chef			Adjudant				Sergent-chef/ Maréchal-des-logis-chef						Sergent/ Maréchal-des-logis						Caporal-chef/ Brigadier-chef				Caporal/ Brigadier		Soldat de première classe						Soldat de deuxeme classe
Burkina Faso Air Force [2] [3] v t e																																			No insignia
	Adjudant-chef major			Adjudant-chef			Adjudant				Sergent-chef						Sergent						Caporal-chef				Caporal		Soldat de première classe						Soldat de deuxeme classe
Burkinabè National Gendarmerie v t e
	Adjudant major			Adjudant-chef			Adjudant				Maréchal-des-logis-chef						Maréchal-des-logis												Gendarme
Rank group	Senior NCOs																						Junior NCOs						Enlisted

Historic ranks

During the regime of Thomas Sankara, Burkina Faso briefly introduced Soviet-style rank insignia, ^[a] which were reverted to the French-style when he was overthrown.

Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers
Burkina Faso Ground Forces (1983–1987) v t e
			Général d'armée		Général de corps d'armée		Général de division		Général de brigade		Colonel Major	Colonel	Lieutenant-Colonel		Commandant		Capitaine		Lieutenant			Sous-Lieutenant			Aspirant

Notes

1. They are visible on multiple photos from the period. ^[4]

References

1. Mathews, L. L. (1979). "Upper Volta" . In Keegan, John (ed.). World armies. Sandhurst: Royal Military Academy. pp. 781–782. LCCN   79-9217 . Retrieved 31 January 2022.
2. "Loi N° 037-2016/an Portant Conditions D'Avancement Des Personnels D'Active Des Forces Armees Nationales" (PDF) (in French). 2015. pp. 17–21. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
3. "Loi N° 019-2015/Cnt Portant Statut General Des Personnels Des Forces Armees Nationales" (PDF) (in French). 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
4. Iqbal, Yanis (16 October 2020). "Thomas Sankara: An Icon Of Revolution". Counter Currents. Archived from the original on 27 April 2025.

External links

• "Burkina Faso". uniforminsignia.org. The International Encyclopedia of Uniform Insignia. Retrieved 31 January 2022.