By Ken Afor
With barely ten months to the scheduled July 2024 presidential election in Burkina Faso, the country’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore, is singing a new song, saying that securing the lives of the people is paramount not elections.
Traore spoke Friday on state television, alerting Burkinabes to the new governance footing.
“It’s not a priority,” he said, referring to the July 2024 presidential election. “I’ll tell you that clearly, it’s security that’s the priority,” he told reporters.
However, not much progress has been made by the 34-year-old Captain who promised “two to three months” to improve security as jihadist fighters still carry out onslaughts in the west African nation.
It would be recalled that the military government through its intelligence and security services foiled a coup attempt on Wednesday and four officers were arrested.
The security services said, “A proven coup attempt was foiled on September 26, 2023, by Burkina Faso’s intelligence and security services.
“At present, officers and other alleged participants in this destabilisation attempt have been arrested and others are being actively sought.
“They had the sinister intention of attacking the institutions of the Republic and plunging the country into chaos.”
Captain Traore seized power September 30, 2022 via a coup after a previous coup by another military officer, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba in January 31, 2022 who ousted President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.
