17 Facts About Michel Kafando

Michel Kafando was born on 18 August 1942 and is a Burkinabe diplomat who served as the transitional President of Burkina Faso from 2014 to 2015.

Michel Kafando served in the government as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1982 to 1983 and was the Permanent Representative of Burkina Faso to the United Nations from 1998 to 2011.

Michel Kafando was briefly ousted by the Regiment of Presidential Security in a September 2015 coup, but he was restored to power within a week.

Michel Kafando was born on 18 August 1942 in Ouagadougou.

Michel Kafando attained a bachelor's degree in public law from the University of Bordeaux in 1969, a diploma in political studies in 1972 in Paris and another diploma from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva in 1972.

Michel Kafando later gained a PhD in political science at the Sorbonne in 1990.

Michel Kafando is married to Marie Kafando and has one child.

Michel Kafando was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Upper Volta from 1982 to 1983, becoming the only cabinet member to retain his portfolio after the November 1982 coup of Major Jean-Baptiste Ouedraogo.

Michel Kafando was a Vice-President of the United Nations General Assembly in 1982.

Michel Kafando headed many delegations to the Organisation of African Unity and was Vice-President of the African Centre for Environmental Protection.

Michel Kafando served as Upper Volta's Permanent Representative to the UN and as its Ambassador to Cuba before being appointed as Permanent Representative to the UN for a second time; he presented his credentials to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, on 15 April 1998.

Michel Kafando was President of the United Nations Security Council in September 2008 and in December 2009.

On 5 May 2017, Michel Kafando was appointed Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General.

On 17 November 2014, Michel Kafando was appointed as transitional President of Burkina Faso by the designation council.

Michel Kafando was sworn in on 18 November 2014, and he appointed Zida as Prime Minister on 19 November.

On 19 July 2015, amidst tensions between the military and Prime Minister Zida, Michel Kafando stripped Zida of the defense portfolio and took over the portfolio himself.

In early May 2017 Michel Kafando was appointed UN Envoy to Burundi.