Burkina Faso’s leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré has cautioned against comparing his circumstances with those of former leader Thomas Sankara, who was assassinated in 1987.
Traoré, who came to power in 2022 pursuing a pan-African and anti-imperialist agenda, said that a new Sankara may not exist today as the socio-political context has changed widely since the 1980s.
He made the comments on Thursday during discussions with stakeholders in the Yaadga region.
"There aren't two captains on a boat. So avoid the mistake of confusing them. There is no number one, no number two, no number what?" Traoré said.
Sankara, regarded as the "Father of the Burkinabè Revolution", took power through a coup d'état in 1983 which was staged by his comrade Blaise Compaoré.
He governed the country until his assassination in October 1987.
Sankara is known for his role in implementing progressive socio-economic policies and reforms which improved the lives of ordinary citizens in Burkina Faso.
"The context we are living in is not the context of 1980's. Let's be clear, I wasn't in prison and someone came to prison to get me after a coup d'état to put me in power, as was the case with Blaise and Sankara. It's completely different,” Traoré added in his remarks.
Traoré, 38, is currently the world's youngest head of state and his leadership style and philosophy have been compared to that of Sankara.
