Burkina Faso’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré criticized the United Nations for its “impotence” amid global threats to peace and security; countries who see themselves as “masters of the world”; critics of Burkina’s military; and, finally, the government of Ukraine, whom it accused of engaging in “terrorism” against Mali, another Sahelian country in West Africa.
Traoré’s speech on Sept. 30, the last day of the UN General Assembly high-level week, also referenced expanding the Security Council and was filled with allusions to France, Burkina Faso’s former colonial ruler and military ally in a regional war against jihadist groups. (Burkina Faso kicked out the French military in the country, which was there to help expel the jihadists, in February 2023.)
“The people of Burkina Faso have decided to affirm and embrace its sovereignty, putting an end to its subjugation,” Traoré, 51, said. “We have also had significant successes in our committed fight against terrorists — terrorists instrumentalized, deployed from a distance and financed by neocolonial powers. Here, I wish to pay a much-deserved tribute to civilians and members of our military who have fallen on the battlefield, and I bow down before our memory.”
Thousands of people have been killed in Burkina Faso’s war with jihadists connected to Islamic State and Al Qaeda since 2015. Two back-to-back military coups in the country have eroded civil rights in a country where abuses by the military are widespread, and where government critics, including journalists, have been kidnapped and thrown into the frontlines in retaliation.
Traoré’s words were strong but his tone was tempered compared with last year’s UNGA speech by Bassolma Bazié, the minister of state. Burkina’s coup in 2022 happened a year after Mali’s. Niger, another West African neighbor, carried out one in 2023. The three military-governed countries all booted French troops from their territories and have formed the unified front called the Alliance of Sahel States, or AES, its French-language acronym.
“[A]t this very moment, we are notching up successes in our offensive against obscurantist forces, against their acolytes that have a questionable shady reputation; at the same time we are seeing that we are the victims of a defamation and smear campaign being waged against our soldiers — they are being accused of violating human rights without the slightest smidge of evidence being brought forward,” Traoré said.
“This propaganda has been cobbled together and aims to lower the morale of Burkinabè patriots and to sabotage their legitimate struggles, and that is happening quite simply because the acolytes of chaos have not yet understood the dynamic underway — they haven’t yet understood our desire to free ourselves or all paternalism and condescending guardianship,” he continued.
The fact that Burkinabè troops continue to serve in UN peacekeeping missions, he added, testified to their “professionalism and stellar conduct.” Both Burkinabè-based and international human rights organizations have documented military abuses in Burkina Faso. The documentation includes the murder of children by soldiers, which was captured on film and reported by American and French media outlets in 2023.
Traoré also claimed strategic gains and praised the AES as Mali and, to a lesser extent, Burkina Faso, are working with Russian militias to get rid of jihadists in their countries. Burkina also continues to contend with leadership instability as it has allegedly faced numerous coup attempts in the last year.
When Capt. Ibrahim Traoré ascended to power through a coup in 2022, only 40 percent of Burkina’s territory was under government control; now it is 70 percent, according to the government. Troops from the Kremlin-operated Africa Corps, which is composed of many ex-Wagner Group troops, have reportedly been operating in Burkina Faso since last year. But it is unclear what they are doing.
Burkina Faso also criticized Ukraine for committing “terrorist attacks” in Mali, referring to reports that Ukraine had aided Malian Tuareg rebels, who are fighting the central Malian government, to massacre dozens of Wagner and Malian troops in July. Traoré referred to an August letter that the AES sent to the Security Council regarding the attack. (The Council did not hold a meeting on the matter.)
Traoré wrapped up his remarks with what he called a multilateralism governed by a few and former colonial powers as well as noting Ukrainian forces’ attempt to thwart the AES’s objectives. He also called on the UN to expand the Security Council to make it more “universal.”
“It is time for the African continent to fully participate in the UN Security Council in accordance with the African position reflected in the consensus agreement,” Traoré said. “Giving Africa its rightful place would cement the universal nature of the UN and repair the historic injustice which continues to be done to Africa.”
“To conclude,” he added, “I wish to make it clear Burkina Faso has deep faith in the UN; however, this organization must take action with full respect of the sovereignty of member states, for their strategic choices and their fundamental interests.
In the Sahel, we are seeing renewal and hope burn bright, and that has been born of the AES confederation. We remain convinced that this new subregional community, which is not taking aim at any country or any people, can contribute working together with sincere partners to move forward without any hypocrisy and fight against terrorism and insecurity in the Sahel. May God bless Burkina Faso. May God bless the AES confederation. May God Bless Africa. The fatherland or death, we will prevail.”
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Clair MacDougall is an independent journalist and photographer who has reported throughout Africa on security and humanitarian crises. She holds an honor’s degree in political theory and a master’s degree from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. In February 2021, the International Center for Journalists awarded MacDougall for her article on the first official death of a UN peacekeeper from Covid-19, published jointly by PassBlue and The Daily Beast.
I am unable to find any media at UNorg relating to this remark from this story regarding the speech from Ibrahim Traoré:
“Traoré spoke for his country on Sept. 30, [2024] the last day of the General Assembly’s high-level week, criticizing the UN system for its “impotence” while praising his own country’s “successes in our committed fight against terrorists.” EVAN SCHNEIDER”
It may be hard to find on UN WebTV but that is the likely source. Or UN documents of speeches at the time.
— Editors