Military ranks of Burkina Faso

Last updated December 31, 2024

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
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
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
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]
^[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
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
Burkina Faso Air Force ^[2]^[3] v t e	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
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
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

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

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References

↑ 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.
1 2 3 4 5 "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.
1 2 "LOI N° 019-2015/CNT PORTANT STATUT GENERAL DES PERSONNELS DES FORCES ARMEES NATIONALES" (PDF) (in French). 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
↑ Iqbal, Yanis (16 October 2020). "Thomas Sankara: An Icon Of Revolution". Counter Currents.

External links

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

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

[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.

[BurkinaFaso1-2] 1 2 3 4 5 "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.

[BurkinaFaso2-3] 1 2 "LOI N° 019-2015/CNT PORTANT STATUT GENERAL DES PERSONNELS DES FORCES ARMEES NATIONALES" (PDF) (in French). 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2021.

[4] Iqbal, Yanis (16 October 2020). "Thomas Sankara: An Icon Of Revolution". Counter Currents.

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