The ruling military junta in Burkina Faso has told citizens to abandon hopes of democratic governance, a move that further entrenches the country’s military rule.
Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who seized power in a September 2022 coup, made the remarks on Thursday during an interview with the state broadcaster, RTB.
Traoré, who overthrew another junta, has since restricted dissent and curbed political freedoms across the country.
“We’re not even talking about elections, first of all,” Traoré said. “People need to forget about the issue of democracy. Democracy isn’t for us.”
The military government dissolved Burkina Faso’s electoral commission last year. In February, the junta-led parliament also dissolved all political parties, whose activities had been suspended since 2022.
The country had initially scheduled a return to civilian rule in July 2024 following the first coup in January 2022.
However, the junta extended the transition period by five years, allowing Traoré to remain in power amid ongoing jihadist attacks that have claimed thousands of lives over the past decade.
The United Nations has called on Burkina Faso to reverse the ban on political parties and to stop the repression of civic space.
Since taking power, the junta has also targeted international media, suspending or banning multiple outlets and expelling several foreign journalists.
AFP
