Burkina-Faso: On the eve of a new plot against the authorities, is Paris stirring the pot again?

At a time when Burkina Faso is experiencing destabilization attempts resulting in several arrests with the complicity of neighboring states aligned with the Elysée, information suggests an onslaught by French President Emmanuel Macron against the regime of Captain Ibrahim Traoré.

According to unverified sources, Alassane Ouattara has allegedly been solicited to exert pressure on Nana Akufo Addo regarding the supply of electricity to Burkina Faso.

Since the arrival of Captain Ibrahim Traoré in power, Burkina Faso has resisted French ambitions, similar to Mali and Niger, leading to the creation of the Sahel States Alliance (AES).

This stance by Burkinabe authorities frustrates the French president and further undermines cooperation between the two countries.

The arrest of four DGSE agents in early December 2023 by Burkinabe intelligence severed the umbilical cord of cooperation already weakened by the Elysée’s backstabbing.

If these rumors of plots from the Elysée turn out to be true, it would undoubtedly be a Machiavellian orchestration by President Macron against the sovereign state of Burkina Faso.

How does Macron benefit from such a maneuver? Upon careful consideration, it becomes evident that a reduced electricity supply in the country could force the government to negotiate new energy deals with France.

In the worst-case scenario, the maneuver aims to destabilize the policies of President Captain Ibrahim Traoré and the entire economy of the country.

If this information is confirmed, it bodes ill. Hence, it is imperative for Burkinabe authorities to investigate to find a solution to this potential threat.

The information is said to be «leaked from the Elysée». If it has indeed caused «diplomatic tensions», it reveals a grain of truth.

Has France stooped so low as to ask a neighboring country to reduce its electricity supply to another country in the same sub-region?

Isn’t this a warmongering policy by France to sow conflict between brotherly African nations?

In their relentless pursuit of establishing a pre-colonial French policy in Burkina by any means necessary, Western-armed terrorists, given their experience of persistent failures on the ground, may eventually desert the territory of the upright people to invade the southern countries of Burkina, those who still valiantly support the Elysée in its cunning.

Ghana, which has probably understood the potential repercussions, seems for now to «resist this pressure».

President Nana Akufo Addo has every interest in maintaining this pressure, considering the good neighborly relations and the economic consequences it could entail for Ghana.

However, doubts may persist about a genuine willingness to resist France on the part of Nana Akufo Addo, whose policies in his country bear a striking resemblance to the moribund policies in Francophone countries, with one key difference.

The British do not force policies on their former colonies, which enjoy perfect and total autonomy.

But common sense seems fragile, where it is learned that, according to an anonymous Ghanaian diplomat in President Akufo Addo’s Cabinet, President Alassane Ouattara allegedly promised to bear the costs of the deficit that could result from the reduction in electricity supply to Burkina Faso.

While some still wonder why President Alassane Ouattara wouldn’t use this money to combat the high cost of living complained about by Ivorians, others question Ouattara’s ability to finance this conspiracy, especially as electricity remains expensive in the country and the stadiums hosting the Africa Cup of Nations still lack tickets.

Papa IBRAHIMA