Congratulations to Burkina Faso, which has made tremendous strides toward land reclamation this year.
In this speech given in the Burkinabé town of Banfora in April, President Ibrahim Traoré congratulated the armed forces for liberating and reclaiming territories in the Cascades Region and the neighbouring South-West Region from terrorist paramilitary organisations, marking a significant victory for all Burkinabé.
When Traoré arrived in this part of the country, crowds of civilians applauded and cheered his entourage. However, the fight is not over. As Traoré explained, these paramilitary groups will likely retaliate. The 36-year-old president told the crowd that the fight against terrorism is part of a larger ‘war of decolonisation’ as some forces seek to help Western powers re-colonise the landlocked African country once under French control.
Burkina Faso, along with neighbouring Mali, has publicly accused the French military of aiding terrorist organisations. Recently, Ukrainian officials admitted to also assisting paramilitary organisations in Mali.
These alleged collaborations reinforce Traoré’s argument that the question of colonialism is at the heart of this conflict.
Video credit: @sigburkinafaso (YouTube) and @sigbf (X)