Why Complain About Capt. Traoré’s Gun When Every President Had One On Their Right Side?

On Tuesday, January 7, the head of state of Burkina Faso and interim President Capt. Ibrahim Traoré attended the inauguration of Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama at the Black Stars Square, along with a number of other high-ranking dignitaries.

The audience gave him a thunderous round of applause when it was his turn to congratulate Ghana’s new president. But as he and his team walked to the stage to congratulate the President, he was spotted brandishing a pistol in front of the public amid a large crowd of cheering fans.

This incident has sparked a lot of reactions from people who believe that using that gun to congratulate President John Mahama was unnecessary and risky. Others believe that this shortfall should be blamed on John Mahama’s security team.

Richard Kumadoe, a security consultant and fraud prevention expert, has also responded to these contentious talks by stating that Capt. Traoré’s enthusiastic reception was due to his transformation of his nation after becoming president, which included paying off the nation’s debts, establishing institutions for them, and defending his people like a desert warrior.

Richard Kumadoe claims that despite everything, people admire him for his leadership skills, including a number of governance specialists and even former South African President Thabo Mbeki, who professed his ‘love’ for Burkina head of state.

“Capt. Traoré is on the same path as Thomas Sankara, who was also a brave leader in Burkina Faso, when it comes to democracy,” he stated.

According to the security expert, he was surprised to learn how many people opposed the pistol. He claimed that while practically all African leaders had guns for protection, they never showed them. He stated:

“Everyone was armed. Actually, on their right side, each of them had a device known as a “wrapper.” Paul Kagame, the godfather himself, had one. To protect themselves, some had concealed theirs in their long gowns. All of them, including their bodyguards, were armed”.

“I expected people to talk about this beautiful thing that happened that day,” Kumadoe said, “but everyone’s attention has been diverted to this little gun display episode.”

According to Richard Kumadoe, the inauguration ceremony was yet another exquisite African Union event.

“There were both permissive and controlling aspects to the environment. Another is what we refer to as the gatekeepers’ preparedness and alertness. Capt. Traoré was permitted to carry a gun in public because all of these were acceptable, he continued.

“What transpired Tuesday was more of an African Union event than an ECOWAS one.”