Regiment of Presidential Security

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Regiment of Presidential Security
Régiment de sécurité présidentielle
Insignia of the RSP
Active	1995–2015
Country	Burkina Faso
Allegiance	President of Burkina Faso
Branch	Burkina Faso Armed Forces
Type	Pretorian guard
Role	VIP protection
Size	≈1,300[1]
Commanders
Notable commanders	Gilbert Diendéré

The Regiment of Presidential Security (French: Régiment de la sécurité présidentielle, RSP), sometimes known as the Presidential Security Regiment,^[2] was the secret service organisation responsible for VIP security to the President of Burkina Faso, a landlocked country in West Africa. It was autonomous from the Army. Until 31 October 2014, the President was Blaise Compaoré, a military officer who came to power in a 1987 coup d'état. The elite unit was well known for its frequent involvement in the politics of Burkina Faso, acting as the iron fist of President Compaoré in his domination of the country. They were said to be widely feared by many people in the country,^[3] which in 2012 – two years prior to the end of Compaoré's government – was described by the Democracy Index as an "authoritarian regime".^[4]

After 2014 Burkinabé uprising, on 1 November 2014, Lieutenant Colonel Yacouba Isaac Zida – deputy commander of the Regiment of Presidential Security – briefly took over as Acting President following Compaoré's ouster. Later in the month, Zida was named Prime Minister. On 16 September 2015, after its disbandment was recommended, the RSP staged another coup that took Michel Kafando and his government hostage. The Army stepped in and Kafando was reinstated on 23 September. The Regiment of Presidential Security was disbanded, as previously recommended, on 25 September 2015.