Burkina Faso’s Traore cautions against comparisons as new Thomas Sankara

Burkina Faso’s leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré has cautioned against comparing his circumstances with those of former leader Thomas Sankara, who was assassinated in 1987.

Traoré, who came to power in 2022 pursuing a pan-African and anti-imperialist agenda, said that a new Sankara may not exist today as the socio-political context has changed widely since the 1980s.

He made the comments on Thursday during discussions with stakeholders in the Yaadga region.

“There aren’t two captains on a boat. So avoid the mistake of confusing them. There is no number one, no number two, no number what?” Traoré said.

Sankara, regarded as the “Father of the Burkinabè Revolution”, took power through a coup d’état in 1983 which was staged by his comrade Blaise Compaoré.