itical parties and leaders: African Democratic Assembly or RDA
[Gerard Kango OUEDRAOGO]; Alliance for Democracy and Federation or ADF
[Herman YAMEOGO]; Burkinabe Bolshevic Party or PBB; Burkinabe
Socialist Party or PSB; Burkinabe Socialist Bloc or BSB [Earnest
Nongma OUEDRAOGO, president]; Burkinabe Environmentalist Party or
UVDB; Congress for Democracy and Progress or CDP [Din Salif SAWADAGO]
(the strongest party in the 1997 legislative elections); Front for
Social Forces or FFS [Fide'le KIENTEGA]; Group of Democratic Patriots
or GDP; Movement for Social Tolerance and Progress or MTP; New Social
Democrats or NSD; Open Revolutionary Party or POR; Organization for
People's Democracy-Labor Movement or ODP-MT (ruling party at time of
1992 elections but was incorporated, with about a dozen smaller
parties, into the powerful CDP in February 1996); Party for Democracy
and Progress or PDP [Joseph KI-ZERBO]; Party for Progress and Social
Development or PPDS; Party for African Independence or PAI

Political pressure groups and leaders: watchdog/political action
groups throughout the country in both organizations and communities;
Burkinabe General Confederation of Labor or CGTB; National
Confederation of Burkinabe Workers or CNTB; National Organization of
Free Unions or ONSL

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA,
ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM,
OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WAEMU, WCL, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Bruno Nongoma ZIDOUEMBA
chancery: 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-5577, 6895

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sharon P. WILKINSON (16 July 1996)
embassy: Avenue Raoul Follerau, Ouagadougou
mailing address: 01 B. P. 35, Ouagadougou
telephone: [226] 306723 through 306726
FAX: [226] 303890

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green
with a yellow five-pointed star in the center; uses the popular
pan-African colors of Ethiopia

@Burkina Faso:Economy

Economy-overview: One of the poorest countries in the world,
landlocked Burkina Faso has a high population density, few natural
resources, and a fragile soil. Over 80% of the population is engaged
in subsistence agriculture which is highly