Following the global food price crisis, people took to the streets of numerous African cities, protesting against the rising cost of cereals, vegetable oil and fuel. The article analyses the case of Burkina Faso, where urban protests against the high cost of living have been particularly intense. I argue that ‘food riots’ should be explained by reference to particular political contexts and the strategies employed by protestors. In Burkina Faso, claims to economic, social and civil rights are systematically connected. It is therefore misleading to reduce the protests to ‘food riots’.