Capt. Ibrahim Traore to visit Botswana - Boko
Africa’s darling son, Captain Ibrahim Traore, 37, the Pan Africanist President of Burkina Faso in west Africa, could visit Botswana anytime.
President Advocate Duma Boko told a kgotla meeting in Tlokweng Tuesday afternoon, that a delegation from Burkina Faso was in Botswana recently to benchmark.
However, he did not say in which sector, but it is highly likely they were here to benchmark on diamonds trading and governance.
Said Boko: “Nako nngwe letla bona go tlile ene kwano”, meaning that one day Batswana will see Traore in their midst – a clear indication that he will invite or has already invited Africa’s youngest leader to visit Botswana.
He added: “Re tla mo letlella gore atle ka ditlhoboro tsa gagwe”, that is, ‘We will allow him to bring his arms (guns)!’
As a military leader, Captain Traore always carries a gun in his military fatigues, and this conduct caused an international uproar early this year when he attended the inauguration of Ghana’s president, John Dramani Mahama in Accra, Ghana, where he was seen seated next to President Boko.
It is speculated that Boko, who in his speeches these days refers to Traore as ‘my friend’, may have extended the invitation to Traore during that inauguration.
Traore seized power in a coup in 2022, and set on a revolutionary path to return the country’s mineral wealth and sovereignty to the Burkinabe.
He immediately severed ties with former colonialist, France and joined forces with Russia. His exploits in economic developments including the nationalisation of gold mines, have won him the admiration of his people.
Traore is seen as an embodiment of Burkina Faso’ Marxist revolutionary, Thomas Sankara, or in some quarters as Cuba’s Ernesto Che Guevara.
President Boko is also resolute in his quest to transform Botswana in three years, and has vowed to bring this to pass by any means necessary, albeit legally!