Burkina Faso's military leaders turn to 'Africa's Che Guevara' to rally struggling country
Hundreds of young people gathered over the weekend in the capital, Ouagadougou, for the opening of a mausoleum for legendary leader Thomas Sankara.
'I'm the driver of the revolution!" one young man exclaimed with delight, sitting behind the wheel of the jeep that Sankara used during his presidency decades ago.
A charismatic Marxist leader who seized global attention by defiantly declaring his country could rely on itself, Sankara came to power in 1983 at the age of 33 after he and former ally Blaise Compaore led a leftist coup that overthrew a moderate military faction. But in 1987, Compaore turned on his former friend in a coup that killed Sankara in the capital — and later became president himself.
An anti-imperialist legacy
Nearly four decades after his death, Sankara is being celebrated in Burkina Faso, a nation of 23 million people once known for its bustling arts scene and vibrant intellectual life — including Sankara's anti-imperialist and pan-African legacy.
'When I stepped inside the mausoleum, I felt the revolution,' said Timoté, a 22-year-old who said he came because of what he heard about Sankara at home and at school.
Sankara's mausoleum, designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning architect Francis Kéré, has been the project of current military leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore.
Since taking power during a coup in 2022, Traore has presented himself as the new Sankara. He has named one of the main streets after the revolutionary leader, elevated him to the rank of Hero of the Nation and revived revolutionary slogans such as 'Fatherland or death, we will win!' in most of his speeches.
The mission of the mausoleum is "to keep the flame of the revolution alive and to remind the world of Capt. Thomas Sankara's fight to break the chains of slavery and imperialist domination,' Burkina Faso Prime Minister Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo said as he read Traore's statement.
An unstable Burkina Faso
Despite promising to fight the security crisis that pushed it to stage a coup, Burkina Faso's military leaders have struggled to deal with the worsening crisis. According to conservative estimates, more than 60% of the country is now outside of government control, more than 2 million people have lost their homes and almost 6.5 million need humanitarian aid to survive.
Human rights groups say the military leadership has installed a system of de facto censorship, crushing critics, while many have been killed by jihadi groups or government forces.
As people flocked to Ouagadougou to celebrate Sankara, life elsewhere in the country reflects a different reality.
'We can go out for a bit in the city center, but with caution,' said one student from Dori, the capital of the northern region, echoing concerns about restrictions on free speech and movement.
The student spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being arrested.
Security concerns have permeated every aspect of life in Ouagadougou. Even the price of beer has skyrocketed as more places become inaccessible to traders.
'There are two Burkina Fasos,' said a teacher from the east, speaking on condition of condition of anonymity for safety reasons. 'One where the streets are deserted at night, and another that comes alive to enjoy the cool evening air.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
5 hours ago
- Washington Post
Ivory Coast leader's bid for a fourth term after rivals sidelined is seen as a risk for democracy
LAGOS, Nigeria — The decision of Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara to run for a fourth term risks a return to a past era of 'old guard dictator rule,' an analyst warned on Wednesday. Ibrahim Anoba, an Africa affairs analyst at the Atlas Network, was speaking a day after Ouattara ended months of speculation about his contested candidacy with an announcement that is likely to lead to a near-guaranteed extension of a presidency that started in 2010.
Associated Press
5 hours ago
- Associated Press
Ivory Coast leader's bid for a fourth term after rivals sidelined is seen as a risk for democracy
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — The decision of Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara to run for a fourth term risks a return to a past era of 'old guard dictator rule,' an analyst warned on Wednesday. Ibrahim Anoba, an Africa affairs analyst at the Atlas Network, was speaking a day after Ouattara ended months of speculation about his contested candidacy with an announcement that is likely to lead to a near-guaranteed extension of a presidency that started in 2010. While Ouattara, 83, said his decision to run was informed by the 'unprecedented security, economic, and monetary challenges' the country faces, his announcement comes after the disqualification of most of his prominent rivals, including former Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam. After changing the constitution in 2016 to remove presidential term limits, Ouattara is the latest leader in West and Central Africa to attempt to stay in power with little or no challenge from a weakened opposition. Togo's Faure Gnassingbé swapped the presidential system with a parliamentary system and introduced a new all-powerful role, while in Cameroon Paul Biya is eyeing an eighth term after being in power since 1982, nearly half his lifetime. Central African Republic's Faustin Touadera is seeking a third term amid a constitutional controversy. With Ivory Coast considered a regional powerhouse, analysts say a weakened opposition and the constitutional change that kept Ouattara in power after abolishing initial term limits could lead the country to an era of one-man rule, especially in a region where democracy is increasingly being challenged. Opposition protests against Ouattara have been blocked, and several protesters have been arrested and accused of disturbing public order. 'We might be sliding back to that era of old men, old guard dictator rule in West Africa because (of) the attitude of the military and equally the civilian rulers,' said Anoba. 'And the announcement of Ouattarra is a reflection of that reality.' Opposition politicians are now rallying against Ouattara, which could feed into a growing wave of discontent among citizens battling declining economies and security challenges. 'It is a repetition of the same problem that we have seen lead to the same consequences,' said Anoba. West and Central Africa has recorded 8 coups since 2020, with the military juntas sometimes pointing to the lack of fair democratic processes as one of their reasons for deposing elected governments. A spate of power grabs by military powers has reconfigured the region's geopolitical lines and split the decades-old regional bloc known as ECOWAS. Periodic elections have been used by others to maintain democratic credentials, but analysts say the trend of constitutional changes and attacks on opposition have been no different from the military powers that have all extended their stay in power. 'What we are having at the moment across West and Central Africa is status-quo elections,' said Beverly Ochieng, a senior analyst at Control Risks. 'They end up reinforcing the authority and executive power of the incumbent in a way the opposition parties are not able to challenge it.' Ochieng added: 'There is also almost like an equivalent in the sense that people want to prolong their stay in power and are willing to use constitutional and transitional means to achieve.' Ivory Coast has maintained its reputation as one of Africa's most stable democracies, especially after its ruinous civil wars. It has established itself as a major African economic power, mostly due to the policies of Ouattara's presidency. However, beneath the veneer of stability is a firm grip on government institutions that makes it impossible for the opposition to challenge the ruling party, analysts say. Ivory Coast has frequently experienced electoral violence, which has killed several people, even pushing it close to another civil war in 2011 when then-leader Laurent Gbagbo refused to concede defeat after losing the election, and some 3,000 people were killed in the violence that followed.
News24
a day ago
- News24
What has changed in Niger two years after the coup?
On 26 July 2023, Niger was thrown into political turmoil. A coup d'etat was announced on state television just hours after members of the presidential guard detained democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum. The coup was led by the head of the presidential guard, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, with support from elements of the nation's armed forces. When he took power two years ago, Tchiani justified the coup by citing growing insecurity, harsh economic conditions and what he described as excessive influence from Western powers, particularly the country's former colonial ruler, France. Niger has experienced multiple military takeovers in the past, but this time was different: Many citizens took to the streets to show their support for the military leaders. But in the two years that followed, some analysts say little has changed for the better. 'In some cases, the situation has worsened,' Mutaru Mumuni Muqthar, executive director of the West African Centre for Counter Extremism, told DW. Turkish Red Crescent / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images With the events of 26 July, Niger joined the ranks of neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, which were already under military rule. In early 2024, Niger, along with Mali and Burkina Faso, announced its withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS. The move marked a major shift in the region, deepening the divide between the military-led governments and the bloc pushing for a return to civilian rule. Job losses in the nonprofit sector Niger's current leadership has forced many nongovernmental organisations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) - which had been assisting more than two million people affected by armed conflict - to shut down operations. For some Nigeriens, especially those who lost their jobs following the leadership change, life has become more difficult. 'Right now, I'm suffering. It's been a year since we stopped,' said Souley, 35, who lost his job as a nutrition researcher at a local NGO after the coup, in an interview with DW. Mahamane, 32, also lost his position as an assistant coordinator at an NGO based in Tillaberi. 'Right after the coup, funds weren't coming in regularly, and our activities were delayed,' he said. Finally, they decided to stop funding altogether. Mahamane 'There is a very constricted space for civil society or NGO work, so there are a lot of job losses in that space,' said Muqthar from the West African Centre for Counter Extremism. Niger already struggles with high levels of youth unemployment. In 2023, the International Labor Organisation estimated that about 23% of Nigeriens between the ages of 15 and 29 were unemployed - one of the highest youth unemployment rates in Africa. Human rights abuses continue Rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have accused the junta of cracking down on freedom of the press and expression in the media and civil society. Ilaria Allegrozzi, a senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch, said freedom of expression has been deteriorating in the country since the military leaders took charge. 'Since the coup d'etat two years ago, authorities have shown a high level of intolerance. They have cracked down on the opposition, the media and civil society, and they are clearly rejecting any transition back to civilian democratic rule,' Allegrozzi told DW. 'They have arbitrarily detained former president Mohamed Bazoum and his wife for two years. They have also arbitrarily arrested and detained dozens of other officials from the ousted government - people close to the former president, including ministers. And they have failed to grant them due process and fair trial rights,' she said. In its 2025 State of the World's Human Rights report, Amnesty International wrote that Niger has routinely violated 'human rights to information and freedom of expression'. Although about 50 detainees were released from prison in April, the organisation pointed out that 'several others still languish behind bars on politically motivated charges.' In January 2024, the Press House (Maison de la Presse) - an umbrella group of 32 media organisations - was suspended and replaced by an ad hoc committee headed by the secretary-general of the Interior Ministry, according to Amnesty International. Is a return to civilian rule still possible? In March, the leader of Niger's military government, General Tchiani, was sworn in for a five-year term under a new charter that replaced the country's constitution. For many, it signalled that a return to civilian democratic rule is unlikely to happen anytime soon. 'In the beginning, we were talking about three years; now we are talking about five years. It's an indication that this regime is seeking to stay much longer than expected. And it is my estimation that they are probably going to stay much longer than even five years,' said Muqthar. Efforts by ECOWAS to help Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali transition back to civilian rule have so far failed.
