Reuters
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As a heavily armed convoy raced through a cheering crowd in the Burkina Faso capital on Sunday morning, the masculine face of the country’s newest military ruler, Captain Ibrahim Traore, appeared. emerging from the turret of an armored personnel carrier.
The 34-year-old smiled and gave him a thumbs up as onlookers greeted him, some even waving Russian flags.
Traore, a low-ranking officer who earlier days was running an artillery regiment in a small northern town, has been launched on the world stage since he and a group of soldiers overthrow President Paul-Henri Damiba in a coup on September 30.
Little is known about Traore and his colleagues, who since Friday have made statements on national television brandishing guns, ammunition belts and masks.
They face enormous challenges to alleviate hardship in one of the world’s poorest countries, where drought, food shortages and shabby health and education systems provide daily challenges. for millions of people. However, the initial focus was on conflict and politics.
In an interview with Radio France International on Monday, Traore, a professional soldier who fought on the front lines against Islamist militants in the North, insisted he would not hold the army for long.
A national convention will appoint a new interim ruler at the end of the year. That leader, be it civilian or military, will honor an agreement with the West African regional bloc and oversee a return to civilian rule by 2024, he said.
“We didn’t come to continue, we didn’t come for a specific purpose,” he said. “All that matters when that level of security returns is the fight, it’s the growth.”
However, an early picture emerged of what Traore’s army intended to do with its time in power.
Their moves, which could include a military overhaul and relations with new international partners like Russia, could change politics in West Africa and change the way Burkina Faso fights an Islamic uprising thousands of people were killed and millions fled.
The military officers initially supported Damiba when he took power in his own coup in January, promising to defeat the Muslim army. But they quickly lost patience. Damiba refused to reform the army, Traore’s rank said. Attacks get worse. Just last week, at least 11 soldiers were killed in an attack in the north.
Meanwhile, Russia expressed support for the coup as soon as its neighbors in the region and Western powers condemned it.
“I salute and support Captain Ibrahim Traore,” read a statement from Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the private military company Wagner Group, which has operations across Africa, including in neighboring Mali. neighbor of Burkina Faso.
Relations with Russia will further strain relations with the former French colony, which has provided military support in recent years but has been the target of pro-Russia protests. Its embassy in Ouagadougou was attacked following Friday’s coup.
Wagner’s entry into Mali last year marked the end of France’s decades-long mission to stop Islamist elements linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State, who have since spread into Burkina Faso .
Wagner and the Malian army have since been accused by rights groups and witnesses of widespread abuses, including the killing of hundreds of civilians in the town of Moura in March.
Burkina Faso’s new leaders on Saturday sparked anti-French riots when they said in a televised statement that France had sheltered Damiba at a military base and Britain was planning a counterattack.
The French Foreign Ministry denies the base is where Damiba is based.
Traore is taking a course in diplomacy. He downplayed the link between Damiba and France and called for an end to the protests. Regarding relations with Russia, he is very vague.
“There are many partners. France is a partner. There is no specific target,” he told RFI.
Meanwhile, he has to juggle everyday problems. On Sunday, he went to military facilities to attend a meeting with ministerial officials that was streamed online.
Whether the authorities can ensure the safety of schools reopening this week, they asked their new leader. What is being done about a bid for a rail link to Ghana?
Traore, who had to consult advisors, did not have all the answers.
