The head of the military junta in Burkina Faso Captain Ibrahim Traore, who is on a tour of the country, once again took a swipe at Western powers.
“We are no longer at war against terrorism, but at war for our independence,” Captain Traore told compatriots during his visit to the Central Plateau region, located about 40 kilometers from the capital Ouagadougou.
He emphasised to thousands of his supporters that Burkina Faso is fighting for her emancipation from the clutches of neo-colonial forces.
According to him the “imperialists do not want to see Africa develop”, as this would lead to problems such as unemployment.
“Every time we establish a small industrial unit here, jobs disappear for imperialism. For example, if we create a sesame processing industry here, it means jobs are lost elsewhere,” Captain Traore
explained.
According to him, the imperialists’ goal is to sow chaos in order to better “plunder our resources.”
He observed that many Western countries although without large gold reserves, nevertheless possess considerable quantities of such resources at their disposal.
“They are creating unrest, stealing and plundering our resources,” he insisted.
“Our duty is to fight for our emancipation (…). Burkina will be what they never imagined it to be,” the Burkinabe leader vowed.
Criticism of Western Media
To win this war, he urged his fellow citizens to be wary of Western media.
“Disinformation is at its peak (…). In this fight, the most dangerous thing is the war of communication,” Captain Traore stressed.
He expressed his regret for having, in the past, listened to certain radio stations like RFI. “Stop listening to these media outlets,” he admonished his compatriots.
The president revealed that in 2022, the magazine Jeune Afrique had approached him but he had declined their offer.
“They sent representatives to meet with us, and we have proof,” he concluded.
Since September 2023, the weekly Jeune Afrique has been suspended in Burkina Faso for “disinformation.”
A few months earlier, in December 2022, the government had also suspended the programming of Radio France Internationale (RFI) due to what it called a “serious breach” and the “spreading of false information.”
HO/te/Sf/fss/as/APA