Heated discussion follows Burkinabè President’s trip to Ghana

On January 7, 2025, the newly-elected president of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, was sworn in. Several heads of state and distinguished personalities graced the occasion and Captain Ibrahim Traoré, the president of Burkina Faso, was among the dignitaries who attended this special ceremony. Since January 7, there has been a vigorous debate in the media and among citizens over that visit.
The young military leader “electrified the crowd” when his name was mentioned by Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin on his turn to congratulate President Mahama. Traoré is highly admired in the subregion, especially among the youth. Part of this popularity stems from his decision to kick the French out of Burkina Faso and drastically reduce collaboration with other superpowers like the USA. Niger and Mali did the same and the three countries coalesced into an Alliance which is now the Confederation of Sahelian Countries. This move is a historic and bold one, since several other former French colonies are still wallowing in the Françafrique zone. Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Benin are examples.
Bearing arms at an inauguration ceremony
The controversy surrounding his attendance centres on the fact that Captain Traoré showed up at the inauguration armed with a pistol holster at his waist, accompanied by armed guards and the delegation had arrived in Accra aboard a Burkinabè Airforce plane. Ghanaians are questioning why Captain Traoré attended the ceremony armed and with armed bodyguards whom the Ghanian media referred to, several times, as the “aides” of the president. A bodyguard is different from an aide de camp and certainly different from an aide. Most Ghanaians considered the bearing of firearms by the Burkinabè delegation as being ill considered. Ghanaians commented that guests bearing arms should not have been allowed at the inauguration of a democratically elected president. Others saw it a serious breach of security protocol and thought that the Ghanaian security service(s) should not have allowed the Burkinabè president and his guards into the function. On another tangent, some contended that Traoré was armed and protected because the French or the US could have tried to kidnap him in Accra. This statement was also circulated, “what proves that other civilian dignitaries attending the ceremony were not armed? Could anyone confidently assert that President Mahama himself was not wearing a bulletproof device since on such occasions, each personality is on the defensive”.
The recent fragile relations between Accra and Ouagadougou were also cited. Outgoing Ghanaian president, Nana Akufo-Addo had made statements that almost triggered a diplomatic incident. During his second term, Akufo Addo said on a visit to the USA that Burkina Faso had initiated relations that represented a real security threat. He added that Burkina had allowed the Wagner militia on its territory and substantiated his concern with the fact that Burkina had traded gold mines with the Russians and Wagner and those mines were on the northern border, very close to Ghana. The Ghanaian ambassador to Burkina had some explaining to do, since the Burkinabè authorities demanded that he explain the Ghanaian president’s assertions. The issue was finally resolved. To some Ghanaians, the concerns of their compatriots are credible, if one considers this preceding event. Some people thought that an angry Traoré had stormed Accra and violence could not be excluded.
Rationalizing the bearing of arms
Some context and background information might explain President Traoré’s gesture. As the president of a country that is currently at war against terrorists, he is armed in almost all his appearances. In Burkina, one of the priorities that has taken on a national dimension is the issue of security. According to sources, in two years the Burkinabè president had survived about 10 coup attempts. One of the main facts is that because of the violent nature of the terrorist attacks, phone tapping is permanently practised. So, no telephone conversation goes unnoticed, according to many Burkinabè. President Traoré is known to be a respected and devoted soldier who is very close to his men and used to go to the warfront until he was advised against it. One could deduce from this partial picture of the general context, the atmosphere in which Traore lives. Of course, detractors could retort that Ghana is not Burkina Faso. This is true, but bearing this reality in mind is important in this discussion.
Refuting the arguments
Many of the arguments raised by Ghanaians are speculative. The statement made by former president of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, could not have led to a violent scene during President Mahama’s inauguration. International relations do not operate in such a simple way. President Traoré coming to Ghana to avenge himself or his country is therefore an inconceivable idea, and too simplistic an analysis.
President Traoré and his guards would not have been carrying weapons if the Ghanaian authorities did not allow it. Consultations certainly took place between the Burkinabè and Ghanaian authorities regarding the details of the visit. Since it is no secret that Captain Traoré never leaves his gun behind, the Ghanaian authorities would have discussed that aspect with their Burkinabè counterparts. If the final decision was that no weapons were allowed during the ceremony in Accra, some possible scenarios are that Traoré and his guards could have travelled to Accra without any guns, something which I consider almost impossible, since no military president and his guards ever travel without arms. The other alternative would be that an unarmed minister could have been delegated to represent Burkina Faso. I mean “unarmed civilian minister” because Burkina currently has a practice of national self-defence. The Volunteers for the Defense of the People (VDPs) are highly respected, and some civilian ministers do not hide that they were trained to handle weapons.
A disciplined junta
The junta in power in Burkina comprises a crop of disciplined, patriotic, combat-seasoned and law-abiding soldiers and the Burkinabe delegation exhibited those traits during the inauguration in Accra.
When the guards attempted to follow Traore to the podium to congratulate Mahama, the Ghanaian security protocol stopped them, and they obeyed. It was noted that President Traoré removed his beret when greeting the vice president, Professor Jane Nana Opoku-Agyemang. Many critics commented that they had never seen Traoré take his beret off to greet anyone and this act showed the respect that he has for women, and age. He greeted her with a handshake, not the usual “fist to fist” that he does with his tactile gloves. The third detail was the handshake that Traoré shared with Mahama. This was one of the rare handshakes initiated by Traore and to the same observers, it was the longest. Those who counted say that it lasted 12 seconds.
These gestures could show Ghanaians that they were dealing with gentle, polite and respectful soldiers who would not cause an incident in any way.
A national policy which is to be implemented soon is the adoption of compulsory military service for all young people. That practice was an initiative of former Burkinabè president, Captain Thomas Sankara, and discontinued after his assassination.
The bearing of arms a long-held tradition
The cruelty, violence and incessant terrorist attacks led the Burkinabè to adopt such measures that might seem extremist and scary to many. So, the controlled presence of guns in the lives of the Burkinabè is a reality, it cannot be doubted or denied. Ibrahim Traoré always moves around armed in every corner of Burkina and in all countries he visits. Some Ghanaians were of the view that during the last Russia-Africa summit, Traoré had had no gun on him, since he was to meet President Putin. I find that to be a little bit naïve, a soldier can carry a gun in so many ways.
It might help to recall that guns have always been carried by military leaders at all international gatherings. These are some instances: Former Burkinabè president Captain Thomas Sankara always travelled to Ghana armed and his Ghanaian counterpart, and very close ally, the former President Rawlings was certainly armed also. Some observers might say that such a context was not a democratic one, but I have more examples to help in explaining the Burkinabè attitude on January 7, 2025.
Summits of civilian and military presidents always brought together civilians and militaries. During the 1984 UN summit, leftist leaders gave Captain Sankara a special gun as a present. They marveled at the speech and international position of the young captain. In fact, former North Korean president, Kim Il Sung, offered that gun and Sankara always had it on him. During another international summit, former Cuban president, Raul Castro, who succeeded his brother Fidel Castro, presented a weapon to former Ghanaian president, Jerry Rawlings. Raul Castro is reported to have said to Rawlings, “I am told that you intend to hand over power to civilians. Well, I’m giving you this gun, you might need it at some point”.
During a summit of African presidents, Thomas Sankara tried to convince his counterparts to do away with the practice of resorting to guns, “I would like all of us to stop carrying guns and stop using guns as a means for resolve dissentions. As a soldier, I am carrying the only weapon I have. But I am sure that my civilian counterparts here, have many more sophisticated and dangerous guns concealed under their garments”.
Guns and pistols have been the companion of military leaders, throughout history. No incident has been recorded as an accidental gun shot during a ceremony. Communications between authorities of various countries can determine whether military leaders are allowed to carry a gun during an event that a country hosts and that could help them decide whether to attend or not.
Moussa Traoré is Professor at the Department of English of the University of Cape Coast, Ghana.
Back to the week’s episode, President Trore for me and for many Ghanaian youths is one of the leaders Africa needs.
Looking at his government and his works, many democratic elected leaders can not match his works.
He is an example for many African leaders.
It was not surprising that when his name was mentioned, he had the loudest applause from the crowd.
It sends a messenger to those democratically elected leaders to note that it doesn’t matter how you were elected but your works and service to the people is what maters.
And till now he has been number president in African for me.
With the issue of security and having his gun on? I believe the incoming president knew about it and certain protocols were done so there shouldn’t be any call for an alarm.
No one can tell that other African leaders had no guns on them.
Your people should understand that Burkina and others countries are not leaving the same reality. President TRAORE is not a civil president. He is carrying the same weapon that you all know to protect himself but who knows what the other are carrying? He could have used it to protect someone else in case of trouble.
President Traore’s pan-african position and the desire to dissociate Burkina and Africa from western overreliance and neocolonial dictates that have wrecked the continent poor for decades, endears him to all. No well meaning African will have a problem with his leadership style and commitment to empowering his nation and the African citizenry.
He deserves all the respect and support. Such a noble stateman!
Great piece 🙏
Nice write up very educative and deep in history
The article explains President Ibrahim Traoré’s controversial attendance at President Mahama’s inauguration ceremony. It describes the cultural, political, and security issues that were involved. While some Ghanaians expressed concerns about his armed presence, the piece rationalizes this behavior as reflective of Burkina Faso’s current security context and traditions. It also emphasizes Traoré’s disciplined, respectful demeanor during the event, demystifying fears of aggression. The article also contextualizes the long-standing practice of military leaders bearing arms. This piece describes the military historical examples and suggests that such debates should focus on mutual respect and diplomatic understanding, rather than speculative narratives.
I anticipated this piece and you did not disappoint at all. Well articulated and well explained. This is a masterpiece! I watched the whole ceremony and aside the cheers, I love his security detail. There is something special about that junta. Let’s watch this space.
I agree with you totally on the carrying of arms by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, the president of Burkina Faso. The applause from the crowd, I believe is an indication that the masses would follow “a good leader” whether democratically elected or a coup maker. As asserted, consultations might have gone on and an agreement might have been reached to have Captain Ibrahim Traoré wear his gun to the ceremony. This young man has started well, let’s support him to succeed.