People of Burkina Faso should forget about democracy, says military ruler

People of Burkina Faso should forget about democracy, says military ruler

Since seizing control in September 2022, military leader Ibrahim Traoré has dismissed the idea of democracy as a viable system for Burkina Faso. Speaking to the state broadcaster Radiodiffusion Télévision du Burkina (RTB) on Thursday, Traoré claimed that the nation must abandon its pursuit of democratic governance. His remarks came amid ongoing efforts to consolidate power following the overthrow of a previous military administration that had held sway for just nine months prior.

Traoré’s regime has taken steps to suppress dissent, including the outright prohibition of political parties in January. A transition to civilian rule had been initially scheduled for 2024, but the junta extended his authority until 2029, sidelining the planned democratic process. “We’re not even talking about elections, first of all… People need to forget about the question of democracy… Democracy isn’t for us,” Traoré asserted during the interview.

“Democracy, we kill children. Democracy, we drop bombs, we kill women, we destroy hospitals, we kill civilian population. Is that democracy?”

At 37 years old, Traoré framed democracy as a system that perpetuates violence, aligning his rhetoric with the legacy of Thomas Sankara, the Marxist leader who renamed the country from Upper Volta and ruled from 1983 until his assassination in 1987. Sankara’s revolutionary ideals have become a symbol for Traoré’s anti-western stance, though his current government has struggled to address the persistent jihadist insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives since 2014.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that over 1,800 civilians were killed in 2023 by the military, allied militias, and al-Qaida-linked Jama’at Nusrat al‑Islam wa al‑Muslimin (JNIM). The organization accused all parties of committing atrocities, including ethnic cleansing of Fulani civilians, targeted executions, and forced displacement of communities. In April 2024, HRW specifically highlighted an incident in which 223 individuals were executed in a single day, two months earlier.

Traoré’s government has denied these allegations and taken measures to silence critics, banning HRW and several international media outlets, including the Guardian. Despite his efforts to reframe democracy as a Western construct, the nation continues to grapple with the consequences of his rule and the ongoing conflict that has displaced nearly 2.1 million people, or 9% of the population, according to recent data.