Burkina Faso president Traore says no country truly develops under democracy, only revolution
On Monday, April 7, 2025, Burkina Faso’s military president, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, stated that no country has ever developed under a democratic system, emphasizing that revolution is the key to true development.
Traoré made this bold claim during a flag-raising ceremony at the Koulouba Palace last week, where he explained that Burkina Faso is not in a democracy but in a “popular, progressive revolution.”
He said, “If we have to say it loud and clear here, we are not in a democracy; we are in a popular, progressive revolution. We must necessarily go through a revolution, and we are indeed in a revolution. So this question of democracy or libertinism of action or expression has no place.”
The president further criticized the concept of democracy as a requirement for national development, calling it “false.” He added, “It is impossible to name a country that has developed in democracy. Democracy is only the result.”
This statement comes just months after Traoré took power in September 2022, following a military coup. His remarks also align with ongoing political movements elsewhere, including the ‘Take it Back’ protests in Nigeria, led by activist Omoyele Sowore, which began on April 7, 2025. Sowore, a strong critic of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government, has similarly voiced his support for revolution as a way forward.
