"This is not the time to celebrate," said Burkina Faso's transitional president, Capt. Ibrahim Traore, referring to the country's 62nd independence anniversary.
“Our independence is not guaranteed because our lands are occupied… The destiny of the country changed on September 30… The fight for total independence began a few weeks ago… Our fight will only be over when all Burkinabe children have enough food to eat and a safe place to sleep in their country,” the head of state pointed out.
On September 30, Traore overthrew Burkina Faso's former leader, Paul-Henri Damiba, saying he had failed to deal with the growing jihadist threat in the country.
In late October, Burkina Faso launched a volunteer recruitment campaign to combat terrorism. When the recruitment campaign was over, it was clear that more than enough Burkinabe had expressed their desire to defend their country from jihadists.
Meanwhile, Traore stated that the fight that is being waged is not only aimed at eradicating terrorism, but that Burkina Faso is also currently struggling for its economy’s recovery.
"This battle on the economic side necessarily involves the fight against corruption. This fight is also underway," the president indicated.
The president expressed support for his people and noted that he had no doubt about the fight's outcome.
"We have no doubt about what will happen and the future of this battle... We will not give up, we will go to the end in this fight for the complete independence of our homeland," he said.
On December 11, Burkina Faso celebrates Republic Day, as on this day 64 years ago, the African country – then called Upper Volta – was declared a republic. The newly-proclaimed republic, however, remained part of the French Community until 1960, when it managed to gain full independence from French colonial rule.
Republic Day is considered one of the most important holidays of the country and is usually celebrated with many festive events in the capital city Ouagadougou. However, in recent years celebrations have been overshadowed by disturbing statistics on the number of terrorist attacks in the country.
10 December 2022, 16:37 GMT
So far in 2022, at least seven attacks have occurred in Burkina Faso, while the deadliest incident in recent years happened on June 4-5, 2021, killing over 160 people in the village of Solhan.
Since 2015, the number of terrorist attacks in the country has increased significantly, leaving Burkina Faso's authorities unable to control roughly 40% of the country's territory, according to experts.