Ibrahim Traoré, who took power in 2022 coup, tells state broadcaster ‘we must tell the truth, democracy isn’t for us’
People in Burkina Faso should forget about democracy as it is “not for us”, the military president, Ibrahim Traoré, told the country’s state broadcaster.
Traoré took power in a coup in September 2022, toppling another junta that had taken power just nine months earlier. He has since stifled opposition and in January banned political parties outright.
A transition to democracy had originally been planned for 2024, but that year the junta extended Traoré’s rule until 2029.
“We’re not even talking about elections, first of all … People need to forget about the question of democracy … We must tell the truth, democracy isn’t for us,” Traoré said in an interview on Thursday with the state broadcaster Radiodiffusion Télévision du Burkina (RTB).
I’m sorry, I’m slightly confused. I think we agree? In the ~1950s they were actually far less repressive about LGBTQ issues than France (their colonizers) was, to be clear. That’s where the argument that while the effects of colonialism are responsible for many evils, in this case it appears to be genuine home-grown regression on personal freedoms.
Yes we agree that this wasn’t imposed on them by their colonizers. Where we might disagree is that I still believe decolonization is good for Burkina Faso.
Nope, think we’re on the same page there too. Cheers!