During an extensive interview broadcast on national television, Burkina Faso’s President, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, launched a sharp critique of Côte d’Ivoire’s security strategy, alleging that Ivorian authorities have a non-aggression pact with certain armed groups.
President Traoré dismissed the relative lack of recent terrorist attacks in Abidjan as evidence of a secret arrangement, not military strength. “The authorities are cozying up to terrorists… There is a non-aggression pact. And when there is a non-aggression pact, you become a rear base,” he asserted. He warned that this arrangement makes Côte d’Ivoire vulnerable, predicting that the country “will be attacked” if the armed groups’ interests are no longer met. “I have told fellow Heads of State that one does not make pacts with terrorists,” he added.
Côte d’Ivoire previously experienced a major jihadist attack in March 2016, when AQIM claimed responsibility for an assault on the Grand-Bassam resort that killed 19 people. While subsequent incursions were recorded along northern borders, a significant lull has been observed since 2021.
Regarding the upcoming Ivorian presidential elections, Captain Traoré emphasized their importance for Burkina Faso’s stability due to the large Burkinabé community living there.
He also recounted his first contacts with Abidjan after taking office, noting that President Alassane Ouattara was the first to call him, followed by visits from his representative. Traoré claimed they “wanted us to follow a certain direction,” but when his government refused, “They turned against us,” underscoring his assertion that the current Burkinabé political trajectory is one of independence: “Burkinabés are intrinsically revolutionary,” he stated.
HO/ac/lb/abj/APA