Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso – Captain Ibrahim Traore, the junta ruler of Burkina Faso, has dismissed the prospect of elections and democratic rule in the country. He declared that citizens must abandon the idea entirely, Okay News understands.
Speaking during an interview broadcast on state television (RTB) on Thursday, the military leader was blunt about the political future of the West African nation. “We’re not even talking about elections, first of all,” Traore stated. He further declared, “People need to forget about the issue of democracy. Democracy isn’t for us.”
Traore, who seized power in a September 2022 coup after toppling another junta, has systematically dismantled democratic institutions and muzzled dissenting voices. Last year, the military government dissolved the country’s electoral commission. This was followed by a move in February where the junta-led parliament dissolved all political parties, whose activities had already been suspended since 2022.
The country’s original transition to democratic rule, which began after the first coup in January 2022, was scheduled to conclude in July 2024. However, the junta extended the transition period by an additional five years. The extension keeps Traore at the helm of a nation that has been plagued by jihadist violence, which has claimed thousands of lives over the past decade.
The United Nations has repeatedly urged the Burkina Faso leadership to reverse its ban on political parties and halt the ongoing repression of civic space. Despite these calls, the junta—which remains hostile to Western countries, particularly France—has continued its crackdown by banning numerous international media outlets and expelling foreign journalists.
