No Nation Can Develop With Democracy — Burkina Faso’s Traoré Rejects Western Model

Burkina Faso’s interim leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, has openly dismissed the idea that democracy is a necessary foundation for national development, asserting that no country has ever truly advanced under democratic rule.

Speaking during a recent flag-raising ceremony at the Koulouba Palace, Traoré declared that his country is not practicing democracy but undergoing what he described as a “popular, progressive revolution.” According to him, the concept of democracy — especially the version promoted by Western nations — has little relevance or benefit in the current trajectory of Burkina Faso.

“If we have to say it loud and clear here, we are not in a democracy, we are in a popular, progressive revolution,” Traoré stated. “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.”

He argued that while many tout freedom of speech and action as democratic ideals, they often create societal disorder. “As much as you think you are free to speak and act, the other is also free to speak and act — and there we end up with a society of disorder,” he added.

Traoré went further to challenge the global perception of democracy as a vehicle for growth, stating, “It is impossible to name a country that has developed in democracy. Democracy is only the result, not the process.”

Traoré, who assumed power in September 2022 after leading a military coup that ousted then-interim President Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, continues to advocate for a revolutionary approach to governance in the West African nation.

His comments come amid growing scrutiny from international observers and human rights groups over the democratic backsliding across several Sahel countries, where military regimes have replaced civilian governments in recent years.