When he was named as the leader of the coup plotters, certain observers pointed out his resemblance to Thomas Sankara. In addition to the red beret, Ibrahim Traoré – Burkina Faso’s new strongman since his successful coup against Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba – has several points in common with the national icon: both are captains, both came to power at the age of 34, and both are perpetrators of a putsch against the military, which had itself come to power by force eight months earlier…
But the comparison stops there. For the situation in Upper Volta in 1983 and in Burkina Faso, today are completely different. Nearly four decades after the Sankarist revolution, this country of honest men is on the brink of chaos, riddled with rampant insecurity. Despite his promises, Damiba – at the helm of this ship adrift since his coup d’état against President Kaboré on 24 January –
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