Burkina Faso’s military ruler, Captain Ibrahim Traore, has said citizens should “forget” about democracy, signalling a further shift away from democratic governance in the West African nation.
Traore made the remarks during an interview aired on national television on Thursday, where he dismissed discussions around elections and democratic processes.
According to a report by AFP, he said, “We’re not even talking about elections, first of all,” in the interview with state broadcaster RTB. “People need to forget about the issue of democracy. Democracy isn’t for us.”
Traore seized power in a September 2022 coup after overthrowing a fellow junta leader and has since tightened control over political space and dissenting voices.
In a series of sweeping measures, the military government dissolved the country’s electoral commission last year, while in February, the junta-led parliament dissolved all political parties, whose activities had already been suspended since 2022, the report noted.
Burkina Faso had initially outlined a transition to democratic rule following the first coup in January 2022, with elections expected to restore civilian governance by July 2024. However, the junta later extended the transition period by five years, effectively allowing him to remain in power.
The country continues to grapple with a prolonged jihadist insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives over the past decade and displaced large numbers of people.
The United Nations has called on the authorities to reverse the dissolution of political parties and halt what it described as the shrinking of civic space.
Since assuming power, the junta has also taken a hard stance against Western influence, particularly France, banning or suspending several international media outlets and expelling some foreign journalists.
