Burkina Faso’s military leader, Ibrahim Traoré, has said the country should abandon the pursuit of democracy, describing it as unsuitable for the nation and claiming it does not align with local realities.
In remarks broadcast on Thursday by the state-run Radiodiffusion Télévision du Burkina (RTB), Traoré said the focus should not be on elections, insisting that democratic governance “is not for us”.
“We’re not even talking about elections… people need to forget about the question of democracy. We must tell the truth, democracy isn’t for us”, he said.
He argued that democracy had failed to deliver stability, adding that it was associated with violence and civilian suffering. “Democracy, we kill children. Democracy, we drop bombs, we kill women, we destroy hospitals, we kill civilian populations. Is that democracy?” he said.
Traoré, who came to power in a coup in September 2022, has since overseen a tightening of political space, including the suspension of political parties and the extension of transitional rule until 2029, despite earlier plans to return to civilian governance in 2024.
His comments come as Burkina Faso continues to battle a worsening jihadist insurgency that has persisted since 2014, displacing millions and destabilising large parts of the country.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that more than 1,800 civilians have been killed since 2023 in violence involving the military, allied militias, and Islamist armed groups, including Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM). The organisation accused all sides of committing serious violations, including crimes against humanity and war crimes.
HRW also alleged that junta forces and allied militias have carried out ethnically targeted attacks against Fulani communities, accusing them of supporting armed groups and forcing widespread displacement.
In a separate report, the rights group said the military was responsible for the killing of 223 civilians in a single day in early 2024, an allegation the government has denied, while also banning HRW and several international media organisations that reported the incident.
