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Traore reneged on promises to hold elections and scrapped political parties in Burkina Faso. In a state television interview, Ibrahim Traore, Burkina Faso’s military leader, stated that people should ‘forget’ about democracy, citing Libya as a failed example of imposed democracy. He claimed democracy leads to bloodshed and is ‘slavery.’ Traore seized power in September 2022 after a coup, initially promising elections in 2024 but later delaying them until the country is safe. In January 2025, his government dissolved over 100 political parties and seized their assets. The military government has also targeted institutions like the media and judiciary, forcibly conscripting critics into combat roles. Violence has surged, with fatalities tripling since Traore took power, reaching 17,775 by May 2025, mostly civilians. Burkina Faso exited ECOWAS and allied with Russia, while neighboring Niger and Mali followed similar paths. The country faces ongoing armed group attacks and displacement of civilians.