Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traore: Our dear Thomas Sankara has come back to life

The military coup that brought Traore to power in October 2022 was initially received with near-complete cynicism, with many dismissing him as just another one of the usual soldier-boys who just come to do nothing but loot their countries.

Two years down the road, the young man has proved that it is possible for soldiers to stage a genuine revolution, not a cosmetic one. They can bring real change that goes beyond long, winding, self-righteous speeches.

Without putting too fine a point on it, let the record reflect that President Traore has a vision that goes beyond him and his family! Clearly, he didn’t come to power to swim in luxury.The first thing his immediate predecessor Paul-Henry Sandoago Damiba did upon assuming power, was to increase his salary and that of his cabinet. In contrast, the first thing Traore did was refuse to take a presidential salary, sticking to his small salary as captain. 

He also caused his ministers to take a 50 percent salary reduction. Just like the greatly beloved and missed Sankara, Traore is widely known as the world’s poorest head of state. He doesn’t spend millions on a presidential wardrobe – he wears his military uniform and moves around with purpose and in humility.

Traore respects public funds. No Land Cruiser V8s in his government. He bought two cheap Toyota SUVs for heads of state to use when they visit. 

He himself drives a second-hand Land Rover Defender 2001 model – the rest of the five cars in his small convoy are pick-ups. He rejected a new presidential jet. He works every day, and moves around, village to village, mobilising people to work.

Having saved millions with this frugality, he bought tractors which he gave people to go and work the land, instead of lining up at the presidential palace to beg for favours. And unlike countries where presidents fight for corruption, Traore is fighting corruption with a passion. Monkey see, monkey do: when the president steals, citizens will steal, when he doesn’t, they won’t either. 

The Burkinabe, seeing their leader serious about hard work, integrity and loving their nation, have followed suit. The country is experiencing a genuine revolution; and they are appreciating a leader who doesn’t preach water and drink wine.It is common to hear soldiers fairly up there in age speak and you roll your eyes, wondering what they consumed lately or whether they have the proverbial bats in the belfry.

Not Traore! The guy is just 36 but what a man! He knows when to talk and when to be quiet. And when he speaks, his sound bites are credible. He sounds sober, intelligent, reasonable and properly put together.He is an experienced soldier, but Traore didn’t give himself a fancy rank; he has stayed captain. Ranks have value in that country; they are not for showing off!I look at Traore and see that you can be a soldier with all the power in the land – and not have to be wearing pips that you don’t deserve. I look at Burkina Faso and I see that you can be a soldier and still be in the honour business - military uniforms and guns have not given the army licence to rob the state and the citizens alike, taking both public and private property at will. 

The Burkinabe are showing that it is possible to be in power and all you are focusing on is not building a bigger army with enhanced instruments of coercion to crush those who do not agree with you; instead, you are focused on getting ambulances to enhance healthcare – not tanks to crush public dissent.Burkina Faso means ‘land of upright men’. We saw that in Sankara. We lived through the horror of his killer and successor, Blaise Compaore. But now, with the advent of Ibrahim Traore, we can smile again. The land of upright men, is once again, being led by a truly upright man. Thomas Sankara is back!