People in Burkina Faso should “forget about democracy” because it is “not for us,” military president Ibrahim Traoré has said, in remarks broadcast by the country’s state media.
Traoré, who came to power in a coup in September 2022, has ruled Burkina Faso since overthrowing a junta that itself had taken power only nine months earlier. His comments mark another striking example of the military government’s rejection of pluralist politics in the country.
Since taking control, Traoré has moved to limit dissent and consolidate authority. In January, he banned political parties outright, further restricting the political space available to opponents and critics.
The latest remarks underline the junta’s continued break with democratic institutions. Burkina Faso, like several other countries in the region, has faced years of political instability, but Traoré’s government has increasingly presented military rule as a preferable alternative to electoral democracy.
According to the state broadcaster, Traoré told the country that leaders must be honest about the political system and its fit with Burkina Faso. The message was not presented as a temporary setback for democracy, but as a broader dismissal of it as unsuitable for the nation.
Traoré’s rise began with the September 2022 coup, which removed one military-led administration only months after it had itself come to power. The rapid sequence of takeovers has left Burkina Faso under continuous military control, with little sign of a return to civilian rule.
The president’s comments are likely to deepen concern among observers of the country’s political direction, particularly after the January move against political parties. Together, the developments point to an increasingly closed political environment under Traoré’s leadership.
Burkina Faso remains under junta rule more than three years after Traoré seized power, and his latest statements suggest that the military government sees democracy not as a goal to restore, but as a system to reject altogether.
