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People in Burkina Faso should forget about democracy as it is ‘not for us’, the military president, Ibrahim Traoré, told the country’s state broadcaster. Traoré took power in a coup in September 2022, toppling another junta that had taken power just nine months earlier. He has since stifled opposition and banned political parties outright in January. A transition to democracy had originally been planned for 2024, but the junta extended Traoré’s rule until 2029. Traoré stated, ‘We’re not even talking about elections, first of all. People need to forget about the question of democracy. We must tell the truth: democracy isn’t for us.’ He claimed democracy was ‘false,’ saying, ‘Democracy, we kill children. Democracy, we drop bombs, we kill women, we destroy hospitals, we kill civilian populations. Is that democracy?’ Traoré has gained support across Africa with anti-French and anti-Western rhetoric, referencing the revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara, who was president from 1983 until his assassination in 1987. However, Traoré has failed to address a jihadist insurgency since 2014, which has killed thousands and displaced 2.1 million people, about 9% of the population. Since 2023, over 1,800 civilians have been killed by the military, allied militias, and al-Qaida-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM). Human Rights Watch accused all sides of committing crimes against humanity and war crimes, including ethnic cleansing of Fulani civilians accused of supporting JNIM. In April 2024, HRW reported the military executed 223 civilians in a single day, two months prior. The government denied these claims and banned HRW, along with several international media outlets, including The Guardian.