Stand with the countries of the Sahel!
The imperialist forces are determined to overthrow the popular military government of Burkina Faso, using their puppet Alassane Outtara, president of the Ivory Coast. The same Ivory Coast that was instrumental in the assassination of socialist president Thomas Sankara in 1987. Since Captain Ibrahim Traore came to power in 2022, the country has embarked on the road to true independence and sovereignty: by creating the Alliance of Sahel States with Mali and Niger, by driving French and American military forces out of its territory, by successfully combating the terrorist forces unleashed on its territory by the West, by regaining control of its mineral resources, notably its gold, and by turning away from the neo-colonial economic agreements imposed by France. And all this in less than three years. The Alliance of Sahel States reinforces the geographical link between the three states and redefines the borders drawn by the colonialists for their own economic interests.
Today, Burkina Faso’s economic, military and social successes are a perfect illustration of the fact that the real development of African and Third World countries can only be achieved once they have rid themselves of the imperialist and neo-colonial forces that enslave them.
Burkina Faso (homeland of honest men), formerly known as Upper Volta, became a French colony during the 19th-century scramble for Africa, and gained nominal independence in 1960. After that, a series of ‘palace’ coups d’etat marked its history, but the real change came when the very popular and Marxist Thomas Sankara took power. In just three years in power, he and his government introduced a series of ambitious reforms that lifted the country out of abject poverty. He was assassinated in 1987 by his once loyal companion turned imperialist agent, Blaise Compaore, who ruled the country until 2014 on behalf of France.
Inspired by Sankara, Captain Traore’s people’s government is under constant threat from imperialism, which refuses to back down and lose control of the resources it considers essential for its world domination. We call on all progressive forces in Britain to stand up for Captain Traore’s government and for a genuine anti-war and anti-imperialist movement in Britain to put an end to imperialism.