IBRAHIM TRAORÉ’S ATTACK ON DEMOCRACY IGNORES THE REAL LESSON FROM AFRICA

Burkina Faso’s military leader Ibrahim Traoré has sparked controversy across Africa after declaring that people should “forget about democracy” because, according to him, democracy kills. His remarks came just three months after his government dissolved all political parties, further tightening the military’s grip on power in the West African nation.

Speaking during an interview on state television, Traoré argued that democracy is not suitable for Burkina Faso. He pointed to Libya as an example of a country where, in his view, democracy was imposed from the outside and failed. He then went further by suggesting that Africans should abandon the idea of democracy altogether.

These comments have resonated with some Africans who admire Traoré’s anti-Western posture and his efforts to challenge foreign influence. However, his remarks ignore a crucial reality that can be observed not only in Burkina Faso but across the continent: the absence of democracy has often produced outcomes far worse than the problems democracy is blamed for.

If anyone wants to understand what happens when a country operates without genuine democratic accountability, they need only look at Eswatini.

Eswatini remains Africa’s last absolute monarchy. Political parties are effectively excluded from meaningful participation in governance, citizens cannot freely choose a government through competitive multi-party elections, and power remains concentrated around the monarchy and its loyal structures. For decades, emaSwati have been told that democracy is unnecessary and that the Tinkhundla system offers a better alternative.

Yet the results speak for themselves.

Despite years of promises about development and prosperity, poverty remains widespread. Thousands of young people are unemployed. Public hospitals frequently struggle with shortages of medicines and equipment. Teachers and public servants regularly clash with government over salaries and working conditions. Corruption allegations emerge repeatedly, yet accountability remains rare.

Most importantly, citizens have very limited mechanisms to remove leaders who fail them.

This is the danger of systems that operate without democratic accountability. When leaders are not answerable to voters, public frustration grows while avenues for peaceful change become increasingly restricted.

The June 2021 unrest in Eswatini is a powerful example. What began as demands for reforms and accountability eventually escalated into one of the most serious political crises in the country’s modern history. Scores of civilians were reportedly killed, hundreds were injured, and many families continue to seek justice years later. The crisis did not emerge because there was too much democracy. It emerged because many citizens felt they had no democratic avenue through which to express their grievances and influence the direction of their country.

This is a lesson that leaders like Traoré often ignore.

Democracy does not guarantee prosperity. It does not automatically eliminate corruption. It does not solve every national problem. But it creates peaceful mechanisms through which citizens can challenge bad leadership, demand accountability, and influence public policy.

Without those mechanisms, power becomes concentrated in the hands of a few individuals. Decisions affecting millions of people are made without public participation. Criticism is viewed as a threat rather than a democratic right. Over time, the gap between rulers and citizens widens.

Throughout Africa, some of the continent’s most painful experiences have occurred under systems where power was concentrated and opposition voices were suppressed. Military governments, one-party states, and authoritarian regimes have repeatedly promised stability and development. Yet many ended up producing economic decline, human rights abuses, and political instability.

The problem is not democracy itself.

The problem is poor governance, weak institutions, corruption, and leaders who refuse to be held accountable.

When Traoré says democracy kills, he overlooks the countless Africans who have suffered under governments where democracy did not exist at all. He overlooks the political prisoners, the silenced journalists, the exiled activists, and the ordinary citizens denied a voice in determining their future.

Eswatini stands as a powerful reminder of what happens when democratic participation is restricted for generations. Citizens become spectators rather than participants in governance. Decisions are made from above. Accountability weakens. Frustration grows.

Africa’s challenge is not to abandon democracy. The challenge is to strengthen democratic institutions, protect freedoms, fight corruption, and ensure that governments genuinely serve the people.

The lesson from Eswatini, and indeed from much of Africa’s history, is clear: democracy may be imperfect, but the absence of democracy comes at a far greater cost.