SUMMARY The briefing explores the dynamics underpinning the coup d’état in Burkina Faso that took place on 24 to 25 January 2022. It does so by discussing the putschists’ justification to fight threats by non-state armed groups and situates the coup in the history of Burkina Faso. Since formal independence the country has been characterised by strikes, military coups and constitutional referendums. In contrast to 2015, however, when broad popular resistance forced a group of military putschists out of office after only a few days, the trade unions and mass organisations this time do not mobilise active resistance, though in principle they oppose military coups. The briefing raises questions regarding whether the ‘transition phase’ will deliver any substantial change, what might be seen as legitimate forms of regime change, and what the character of political authority is in Burkina Faso, how it might be delivered and by whom.