Burkina Faso on Friday officially inaugurated its War College in Ouagadougou – designed to train senior military officers at the strategic level – with an inaugural class of around ten students, all of whom are Burkinabe.
Prime Minister Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo presided over the opening ceremony of the War College at the Tiefo Amoro Higher Military Education Institute (IEMS-TA), an initiative hailed by authorities as a step toward greater national autonomy in training the country’s military elite.
“We cannot speak of sovereignty regarding defence and security as long as we continue to send our military elite abroad for training,” Mr. Ouedraogo stated.
The students will receive training in areas such as planning, command, the conduct of operations, and strategic analysis.
According to the PM, this training aims to equip Burkina Faso with officers capable of designing and conducting operations based on an “endogenous doctrinal approach” – one inspired by the
country’s own experience, traditions, and history.
The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Major General Moussa Diallo, emphasized that a state committed to ensuring its long-term security must be capable of conceptualising its own defence and adapting its responses to its strategic environment.
He urged the first cohort of students to go beyond mere knowledge acquisition and develop capabilities in anticipation, decision-making, planning, and strategic design.
The government reaffirmed its commitment to providing the War College with the necessary resources and aims to establish the IEMS-TA as a benchmark institution at the sub-regional, African, and international levels.
HO/te/Sf/fss/as/APA