Burkina Faso Condemns Imperialism; Together with Mali, Vows to Defend Niger’s New Leadership with Force
Burkina Faso’s New President Condemns Imperialism, Quotes Che Guevara, Allies with Nicaragua, Venezuela, Cuba
Ben Norton
The new president of Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Traoré, has vowed to fight imperialism and neocolonialism, invoking his country’s past revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara and quoting Che Guevara.
The West African nation has also formed close diplomatic ties with the revolutionary governments in Nicaragua, Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran, as well as with NATO’s arch-rival Russia.
In January 2022, a group of nationalist military officers in Burkina Faso toppled the president, Roch Kaboré, a wealthy banker who had fostered close ties with the country’s former colonizer, France, where he was educated.
The military officers declared a government run by what they call the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration (MPSR), led by a new president, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.
They pledged to seek true independence from French hegemony, condemning the neocolonial policies and economic, political, and military control that Paris still exercises over Francophone West Africa.
Burkina Faso ended its decades-long military agreement with France, expelling the hundreds of French troops that had been in the country for years.
The new president, Damiba, was initially popular. But support waned as he was unable to defeat the deadly Salafi-jihadist insurgents that have destabilized the country.
In September 2022, discontent led to a subsequent coup in Burkina Faso, which brought to power another nationalist military leader named Ibrahim Traoré. He was just 34 at the time, making him one of the world’s youngest leaders.
Traoré has pledged to carry out a “refoundation of the nation” and comprehensive “modernization”, to quell violent extremism, fight corruption, and “totally reform our system of government”.
The charismatic Burkinabè leader frequently ends his speeches with the chant “La patrie ou la mort, nous vaincrons!”, the French translation of the official motto of revolutionary Cuba: “Patria o muerte, venceremos! (Homeland or death, we will prevail!)
As president, Traoré has brought back some of the revolutionary ideas of Thomas Sankara.
Sankara was a Marxist Burkinabè military officer and committed pan-Africanist who ascended to power in a 1983 coup.
Sankara launched a socialist revolution, transforming the impoverished country through land reform, infrastructure development, and expansive public health and literacy programs.
Under Sankara’s leadership, Burkina Faso also challenged French neocolonialism and pursued an anti-imperialist foreign policy, forming alliances with revolutionary struggles across the Global South.
These leftist policies were reversed in 1987, when Sankara was overthrown and killed in another coup, led by his former ally Blaise Compaoré—who subsequently moved hard to the right and allied with the United States and France, ruling through rigged elections until 2014.
Today, Ibrahim Traoré is drawing heavily on the legacy of Sankara. He has made it clear that he wants West Africa, and the continent as a whole, to be free of Western neocolonialism.
This July, the Russian government held a Russia-Africa Summit in Saint Petersburg. Traoré was the first African leader to arrive to the conference. There, he delivered a fiery anti-imperialist speech.
“We are the forgotten peoples of the world. And we are here now to talk about the future of our countries, about how things will be tomorrow in the world that we are seeking to build, and in which there will be no interference in our internal affairs”, Traoré said, according to a partial transcript published by Russian state media outlet TASS.
TASS reported:
In his speech, the Burkinabe head of state also focused on sovereignty and the struggle against imperialism. “Why does resource-rich Africa remain the poorest region of the world? We ask these questions and get no answers. However, we have the opportunity to build new relationships that will help us build a better future for Burkina Faso,” the president said. African countries have suffered for decades from a barbaric and brutal form of colonialism and imperialism, which could be called a modern form of slavery, he stressed.
“However, a slave who does not fight [for his freedom] is not worthy of any indulgence. The heads of African states should not behave like puppets in the hands of the imperialists. We must ensure that our countries are self-sufficient, including as regards food supplies, and can meet all of the needs of our peoples. Glory and respect to our peoples; victory to our peoples! Homeland or death!” Traore summed up, quoting the words of legendary Cuban revolutionary leader Ernesto “Che” Guevara. The 35-year-old president of Burkina Faso was attired in a camouflage uniform and red beret during the summit.
On July 29, Traoré had a private meeting in Saint Petersburgh with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In their talks, the Burkinabè leader praised the Soviet Union for defeating Nazism in World War II.
Burkina Faso strengthens ties with Latin American revolutionary movements
The new nationalist government in Burkina Faso has also sought to deepen its ties with revolutionary movements in Latin America.
In May, the West African nation’s prime minister, Apollinaire Joachim Kyélem de Tambèla, traveled to Venezuela.
Tambèla met with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who pledged to “advance in cooperation, solidarity, and growth… building a solid fraternal relation”.
In July, the Burkinabè prime minister traveled to Nicaragua to celebrate the 44th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution.
Tambèla attended the July 19 celebration of the revolution in Managua, at the invitation of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.
Following the September 2022 coup in Burkina Faso, the new president, Traoré, surprised many observers by choosing as his prime minister a longtime follower of Thomas Sankara, Apollinaire Joachim Kyélem de Tambèla.
Tambèla was an ally of Sankara during the Burkinabè revolution. When Sankara came to power in the 1980s, Tambèla organized a solidarity movement and sought international support for the new leftist government.
Tambèla is a pan-Africanist and has been affiliated with communist and left-wing organizations.
Traoré said in a speech in December that Tambèla will help to oversee the process of the “refoundation of the nation“.
By appointing Tambèla as prime minister, Traoré tangibly showed his commitment to reviving the revolutionary legacy of Sankara.
In his remarks at the anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution, Tambèla discussed the historical legacy of solidarity between the revolution in Burkina Faso and that of Nicaragua.
Tambèla recalled that Sankara visited Nicaragua in 1986, and the Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega visited Burkina Faso that same year.
When he spoke at the United Nations General Assembly in 1984, Sankara declared,
“I wish also to feel close to my comrades of Nicaragua, whose ports are being mined, whose towns are being bombed and who, despite all, face up with courage and lucidity to their fate. I suffer with all those in Latin America who are suffering from imperialist domination.”
In 1984 and 1986, Sankara also visited Cuba, where he met with revolutionary President Fidel Castro.
“For people of my generation, there are things that unite us with Nicaragua, Augusto César Sandino, the Sandinista National Liberation Front and Commander Daniel Ortega”, Burkinabè Prime Minister Tambèla said in his speech in Managua on July 19, 2023.
“We have learned to know Nicaragua. When the liberation struggle began, I was small, but we followed, day by day, the context of Nicaragua’s liberation. I went in July of ’79, and when they entered Managua we were happy, people of my age celebrated that”, he recalled. “And then, when Thomas Sankara came to power, Daniel Ortega and the Sandinista Revolution was something happy for us; we as students studied a lot the history of Nicaragua, we followed its evolution.”
Tambèla added that Burkina Faso supported Nicaragua in its International Court of Justice case against the United States. Washington was found guilty of illegally sponsoring far-right “Contra” death squads, which waged a terror war against the leftist government, as well as putting mines in Nicaragua’s ports. (Yet, although Nicaragua won the case in 1986, the U.S. government has still to this day refused to pay the Central American nation a single cent of the reparations that it legally owes it.)
“Nicaragua’s struggle is also that of our people”, Tambèla stressed.
In his July 19 speech, the Burkinabè prime minister also sent special greetings to the diplomatic delegations from Cuba, Venezuela, and Iran.
“We have very close relations with Cuba”, Tambèla added. “President Fidel Castro has been and was a very important person for the revolution in Africa; we have excellent memories, both of Cuba and of President Fidel Castro.”
(Ben Norton is a journalist, writer, and filmmaker. He is Editor-in-Chief of Geopolitical Economy Report. Courtesy: Geopolitical Economy Report, an independent news outlet that provides original journalism and analysis to understand the changing world.)
Burkina Faso & Mali Vow to Defend Niger’s New Leadership with Force
Steve Lalla
Burkina Faso and Mali have declared their willingness to defend Niger with armed force if France, Nigeria, or ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States) were to intervene in Niger following the recent change of power.
“Any military intervention against Niger would be tantamount to a declaration of war against Burkina Faso and Mali,” read a joint statement issued by Mali and Burkina Faso on Monday, July 31.
“Any military intervention against Niger would lead to the withdrawal of Burkina Faso and Mali from ECOWAS, as well as the adoption of self-defense measures in support of the armed forces and people of Niger.”
In a further statement, the West African nation of Guinea expressed “its disagreement with the sanctions taken by ECOWAS, including military intervention,” and “decided not to apply these sanctions, which it considers illegitimate and inhumane.” Guinea, Mali, and Burkina Faso are currently suspended from ECOWAS, and did not take part in recent resolutions deliberated by ECOWAS.
“Mali and Burkina Faso, and just lately Guinea, also have shown support for Niger,” analyst Kambale Musavuli said during an interview with Telesur English. “So what is really unfolding is that if ECOWAS today decides to send its soldiers to Niger, there is a huge risk of having a regional war similar to that which took place in the DRC, in the Congo, in the late ‘90s, where many African nations ended up there.”
“The possibility of a foreign military intervention in Niger and, potentially, other West African nations, is very seriously on the table,” agreed Ben Norton of Geopolitical Economy Report.
“It is a threat that many countries in West Africa are taking seriously, and we have seen statements from neighboring countries of Niger that have similar governments, like in Burkina Faso and also in Mali, that have said that if there is a foreign intervention, they would consider this a declaration of war. The possibility of war breaking out in West Africa is very real, and, as is pretty much always the case, Western powers are the ones fueling the fire of this conflict and threatening war. Let us not forget that this is a region where there were very recent examples of Western military intervention. In 2013 and 2014, France led a military intervention in Mali, a neighbor of Niger, and in 2011, NATO, led by the United States, with the support of France, Canada, and other European nations, destroyed the central government of Libya that was led by the revolutionary leader Muammar Gaddafi. They killed Gaddafi and still, today, a decade later, Libya has no central government. It has been in a state of civil war, and now there is a possibility of the Western powers expanding that conflict to the west and to the south to the Sahel region.”
Threats issued by France, U.S., and ECOWAS
The joint statement by Burkina Faso and Mali took place following threats issued by French President Emmanuel Macron, on Sunday, July 30, of “immediate and uncompromising” action if French citizens or interests were attacked in Niger. Earlier that day, thousands of Nigeriens, expressing their support of the anticolonialist implications of the coup, gathered outside the French embassy in Niamey, smashed its windows, and set fires. Many pro-coup demonstrators were burning flags of France, waving flags of the Russian Federation, and chanting slogans such as “France, go home.” France maintains about 1,500 troops in Niger, while the U.S. keeps about 1,100 armed forces personnel in the country. Niger’s armed forces, by comparison, number 12,000 personnel, 3,700 of whom are police.
ECOWAS issued a series of stern warnings on Sunday. Omar Alieu-Touray, president of the ECOWAS Commission, read out a series of resolutions, including the willingness to use force if Niger’s overthrown President Mohamed Bazoum was not reinstated within seven days. Other resolutions implemented the closure of land and air borders between ECOWAS countries and Niger, as well as the imposition of a no fly zone on all commercial flights to and from Niger. Furthermore, ECOWAS resolved to “freeze all service transactions, including energy transactions,” “freeze assets of the Republic of Niger in ECOWAS Central Banks,” and to “freeze assets of the Niger State and the state enterprises and parastatals in commercial banks.”
Panicked statements condemning the coup issued by France and the U.S. have reinforced the representation of the coup as another blow to the hegemony exercised by the U.S. and its NATO allies. U.S. secretary of state, the neocon Antony Blinken, declared “unflagging” U.S. support for the deposed president, Bazoum. Citing an anonymous state department official, Reuters reported that “there is a narrow opportunity to reverse last week’s military takeover in Niger, and U.S. diplomatic and military posture there will depend on whether the democratically elected government is reinstated in the coming days and week.”
The situation in Niger
“General Abdourahamane Tchiani is the general who is currently leading Niger,” explained Musavuli, “and from the moment he took power, he has engaged in public actions. One of them is to rein in any of the former members of the government who are alleged to have participated in any form of corruption, to actually bring back any money that they have embezzled. One has already been arrested, the minister of defense, others are actually hiding in foreign embassies—Western embassies—at the moment.”
“What is clear to see on the ground is the overwhelming support of the Nigerien people for the coup,” Musavuli added.
“They came out this past Sunday, on July 30th, in a rally of support for the coup, and many of them went to the French Embassy. The French Embassy has been defaced. Windows have been broken. The people have expressed that they see the coup as a way of liberation from French control. In the protests, you are seeing people saying ‘France dégage!’ (‘France, leave’). In the protests, you are seeing Russian flags, you are seeing people saying ‘vive Putin!’ (‘long live Putin’). Clearly, the people of Niger are saying ‘we want to break our ties with the West, we want to continue our connection with Russia in creating a multipolar world.’”
Mixed messages in mainstream media
Nevertheless, Western analysts have feigned confusion at this turn of events, or attempted to portray these anticolonial gestures as products of disinformation or astroturfing. In an interview with German mainstream news outlet Deutsche Welle (DW), for example, Christoph Schmid of the Social Democratic Party of Germany said “we have to keep the population in mind, but demonstrators can be bought. We saw this in the region. We saw this in Mali. We see this now in Niger, and I’m not too sure about what we really see with demonstrators burning French flags. Are they really aware of the European footprint with development? Are they really aware of what they get from Russia? Because they do not get partnership from Russia, so I’m not quite sure about the real situation.”
Perhaps Schmid is unaware of the centuries of exploitation that have resulted in the poverty of Niger’s people. Although the nation contains vast mineral wealth, including about 5% of the world’s uranium, Niger is only permitted to retain 12% of the royalties from the exploitation of this resource, which provides about one-third of France’s uranium and is 63% owned by the French.
In a similar vein, U.S. outlets such as The Intercept have focused on the ties of West African coup leaders to U.S. military institutions: “Brig. Gen. Moussa Salaou Barmou, one of the leaders of the unfolding coup in Niger, was trained by the U.S. military,” The Intercept reported on July 27. The outlet, among others, has noted that other West African coup leaders were also trained in the U.S., including heads of state of Mali (Goïta), Guinea (Mamady Doumbouya), and Burkina Faso (referring to recent military leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who had trained with U.S. forces. Damiba was overthrown in September 2022 by Ibrahim Traoré—who has not been connected to U.S. training).
“Since 2012,” added The Intercept,
“US taxpayers have spent more than $500 million in Niger, making it one of the largest security assistance programs in sub-Saharan Africa. Across the continent, the State Department counted just nine terrorist attacks in 2002 and 2003, compared with 2,737 last year in Burkina Faso, Mali, and western Niger alone, according to a report by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, a U.S. Defense Department research institution. U.S. troops train, advise, and assist their Nigerien counterparts, and have fought and even died there.”
Information from The Intercept must be viewed with suspicion. The Grayzone has revealed that its billionaire owner, Pierre Omidyar (founder of eBay), “funds regime-change networks and partners with CIA cutouts.” As such, reports from The Intercept, although rooted in truth regarding the coup leaders’ training, may be intended to encourage the false perception that the U.S. is not, in fact, losing ground in the region. On Monday, Niger’s new leadership halted uranium exports to France. It is clear that this harms the French economy, heavily reliant on nuclear power. The effects of the coup in Niger on the power of the U.S., however, are less clear.
While the leaders of Mali and Burkina Faso have officially expelled French troops from their countries, U.S. troops remain and the U.S. continues to pour millions into these countries’ military and law enforcement agencies, although U.S. officials have heightened their criticisms of Mali and Burkina Faso’s leadership. Since the departure of French troops, Mali has welcomed Russia’s private militia Wagner Group to help it combat terrorism.
Pan-African Winds Blowing Across West Africa
In February 2023, Burkinabé Prime Minister Kyélem de Tambèla met with the president of Mali, Assimi Goïta, and other Malian authorities to express Burkina Faso’s desire to form a Pan-African federation, according to the Thomas Sankara Center for African Liberation and Unity. “We are considering a Federation this day,” said Kyélem de Tambèla. “This is our short or medium-term objective. We need everyone’s support, in this sense, because as long as we remain isolated, we are fragile. The Mali—Burkina Faso Federation will constitute a much more decisive striking power.” In a recent article penned by Kambale Musavuli and Vijay Prashad, People’s Dispatch agreed that Niger “is likely” to be included in future discussions about a West African federation.
“We have to understand why this is happening in West Africa,” said Musavuli, in the aforementioned interview with Telesur.
“The people of West Africa—from Mali, Niger, Senegal, Burkina Faso, mostly francophone Africa—they want to break ties with France. They do not understand why, in 2023, France still controls their resources, France still controls the currency, and France still controls the politics of the country. So, for over a decade, people in West Africa have demanded the French leave. Mali has requested that the French military leaves. They have done so. Mali has changed the official language of the country. They have removed French as the official language. Burkina Faso has followed their lead, and they just participated also at the Russia—Africa Summit. Burkina Faso was very clear about France leaving, and now we see Niger. So, we have a new non-aligned movement on the African continent being led by Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, where they want France’s military and French presence to be out of Africa, so that Africans can determine their own affairs.”
(Steve Lalla is a historian, analyst and journalist. Courtesy: Orinoco Tribune, an independent news outlet created in 2018 and specially designed to provide relevant progressive information about Venezuela or related to Venezuela.)
