Western powers: On the prowl to neutralise Ibrahim Traore, By Ahmed Aminu-Ramatu Yusuf

Africans and progressive activists in the continent and the diaspora, including the United States (US), Canada, the Caribbean, Western Europe, and Russia, took to the streets on 30 April.

The marches were in support and solidarity with the President of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traore, his government and the people. They were joined by democratic, anti-imperialist, and peace-loving peoples of other races.

The protest was triggered by the continuous destabilisation of Burkina Faso by Western powers, especially France, which has been financing and arming some extremely retrograde and deadly terrorist elements of the Boko Haram type.

But, why are France and Western powers so desperate to eliminate Traore and overthrow his government?

What are French military warships, carrying hundreds of troops, helicopters, and military vehicles doing in neighbouring but hostile Cote d’Ivoire, three months after the latter claim to have expelled French forces?

Why did the U=S African-American General, Michael Langley, tell a U.S. Senate Hearing that Burkina Faso’s gold reserve goes for Traore’s personal security rather than the nation’s benefit? So the US said of Muammar Gaddafi before destroying Libya and killing Gaddafi.

The first reason is that Burkina Faso is a largely driven agriculture and mining country. It produces gold zinc, copper, manganese, phosphate and limestone. But it has significant reserves of diamonds, bauxite, vanadium and nickel, etc., which are presently unexploited.

These materials, hitherto exploited by Western multinationals, have been nationalized by Traore’s government. An act generally seen by the Western powers as dangerous to their interests.

Secondly, Traore is widely seen as the political reincarnation of a predecessor, Captain Thomas Sankara, assassinated by a French marionette, Blaise Compaore, in 1987. Like Sankara, he rode to power, as a Captain, through military coup d’état, in his early thirties. Sankara at the age of thirty-three, Traore at thirty-four.

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Both fought commendably against Western-backed terrorists operating and destabilizing Burkina Faso. Like Sankara, Traore is a nationalist, patriot, and professional but politically conscious military officer. Both are people-oriented leaders, passionately committed to the defence of the homeland, and the all-round development of Burkina Faso.

To Western powers, a Sankara born-again must not be allowed to shine, flower and flourish, as it will fertilize the grounds for the reincarnation of African leaders like Patrice Lumumba of Congo, Sylvanus Olympio of Togo, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Amilcar Cabral of Guinea Bissau & Cape Verde, Augustino Neto of Angola, Samora Machel of Mozambique, Gadhafi of Libya, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and, Steve Biko, Robert Sobukwe, and Chris Hani of South Africa.

Thirdly, Western powers are opposed to Traore because he is a strong believer and practitioner of development. Like Cabral, Traore sees development as greatly involving but radically transcending modernisation. Development, to them, means improving their citizens’ material, spiritual, welfare, and security conditions; continuously ensuring peace and progress; increasingly humanizing their citizens’ lives and conditions and, guaranteeing the future of their children.

From the Western powers perspective, such development will negatively affect their economic interests, and counter their political domination.

To Traore, pursuing development means simultaneously continuing the independence struggle to its logical conclusion. This informs his stand that, “[w]e are not in a democracy, we are in a revolution”, as the struggle involves breaking “every tie that kept us in slavery.”

Fourthly, the reality, however, is that Traore believes in democracy. But democracy, to him, is more than the principles, ingredients, and rituals of liberal democracy. By his words and actions, he is out to create the basis for practicing popular democracy.

After all, as Cabral said, “the people are not fighting for ideas, for the things in anyone’s head. They are fighting for material benefits, to live better and in peace,… ” Fredrick Engels had earlier said the same thing, that, “[m]ankind must first of all eat, have shelter and clothing before he can pursue politics.. . ”

Popular democracy is a democracy that involves the masses in the administration of the state, the society and the economy; meets their ever-expanding material, spiritual and cultural requirements and, addresses the contradictions within the people.

It is equally directed towards restricting the powers of the ruling and governing classes; confronting the dominance of Western imperialist forces in the country; consolidating national independence; transforming the neo-colonial economy; and enthroning the working people in the affairs of the political economy.

Popular democracy, therefore, is a democracy in which the masses of people are dominant, and in which their interests and well-being supersedes, and overrides, the powerful interests of externally forces. As Traore said, “We have been receiving French aid for 63 years, yet our country has not developed, so cutting it off from us now will not kill us, but motivate us to work and rely on ourselves.”

Fifthly, Traore is a Pan-Africanist. Like Nkrumah, he believes in the unity of Africans. But he is equally conscious that Pan-Africanism can never be attained if the African masses are relegated to the background. Therefore, the major task of Pan-Africanist leaders is to create the favourable conditions for the attainment of the ideals of Pan-Africanism.

Traore believes that while Burkina Faso comes first, its development and liberation is dialectically connected with Africa’s development and liberation.

Together with General Abdourahamane Tchiani of Niger Republic, and General d’Armee Goita of Mali, Traore established the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), to counter the hostilities of the pro-West Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

AES is confronting Western sponsored terrorism and economic sanctions. Members have adopted concrete measures to neutralise France control over their natural resources, political and diplomatic affairs, as well as economic and trade relations. They have withdrawn from the International Organisations of Francophone States, and downgraded French language in their countries.

AES members have stopped French military operations in, and expelled French military forces from, their countries. They have renamed their streets after their national heroes and heroines, as against the names of racist and fascist colonial rulers.

Sixth, Traore embarked on projects that undermine the interests of French and Western forces in Burkina Faso. Within two years, local and foreign debts, including those of IMF and World Bank, have been paid. He has embarked on agricultural mechanisation, and the industrialisation of the country. All these, amongst others, are economically injurious to Western interests, as they drastically cut their monopolistic capital accumulation.

But these progressive actions equally endanger Traore. Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim, Nigeria’s Minister of Economic Planning, warned Africa as far back as November 1961, that: “…if we want to go very quickly in our economic changes, we cannot easily do it without creating a certain amount of trouble … The imperialists have got various means to defending their monopoly. They have got their newspapers and televisions and they can go to any extent to tell lies. If we want to set about improving the economy of our country in a particular way, they may say we are Communists. They can make our countrymen suspect our every move. If they do not succeed by false propaganda, by calling us all sorts of names, if they fail to make us unpopular in order to win their case, they can arrange assassination. They can go to any extent without discrimination.”

Ride on Traore. But, just as Samora Machel said, “[t]he day you hear the Whites speak of me in good terms, … I have betrayed you already” So Traore, please, know the day France and other Western powers speak good of you, that day, we, Africans in Africa and in the Diaspora, will know you have sold out to Western imperialist forces.

Ahmed Aminu-Ramatu Yusuf worked as deputy director, Cabinet Affairs Office, The Presidency, and retired as General Manager (Administration), Nigerian Meteorological Agency, (NiMet). Email: [email protected]